ERCOT says it likely won’t ask Texans to conserve power despite ‘tight’ grid conditions
Texans aren’t expected to have to conserve power after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it expects grid conditions to be “tight” and has received permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to exceed normal air pollution limits.
ERCOT said in a notice that the TCEQ has given it permission to exceed pollution limits to produce the power needed to supply electricity to the state through cold temperatures and precipitation that prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather warning until 6 p.m. Thursday.
Texas has its own power grid, and ERCOT is responsible for making sure the lights stay on for residents and businesses.
But while the system is better fit to withstand heat waves than some grids might be, the February 2021 winter storm exposed weaknesses when freezing weather makes a visit to the state. ERCOT has said it was working to improve the system, and the storm that hit Texas earlier this month saw minimal outages.
To help keep the lights on during this weather system, the TCEQ said ERCOT can begin exceeding air quality limitations starting at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, to continue until either TCEQ revokes permission or ECOT announces it is no longer necessary.