ERCOT issues Weather Watch as high temperatures lead to rise in electrical demand

SAN ANTONIO – The Electrical Reliability Council of Texas issued a Weather Watch on Tuesday that will be effective later this week to early next week.

“ERCOT has issued its first Weather Watch to let Texans know that we are forecasting increased demand due to the higher temperatures expected this week and into next week,” said Pablo Vegas, ERCOT President, and CEO.

The watch, from June 15 to June 21, mainly serves as a notification for Texans to be aware of the increase in demand. ERCOT said this does not affect grid conditions, and there is enough capacity to meet the forecasted conditions , according to a press release.

“Grid conditions are normal when we issue a Weather Watch. ERCOT continues to monitor conditions closely and will deploy all available tools to manage the grid and will continue our reliability-first approach to operations, always prioritizing grid reliability.”

Additionally, ERCOT’s said that its 6-day Supply and Demand dashboard shows the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record later this week.

Last year, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records, surpassing 80 GWs for the first time. The current record of 80,148 MWs was set on July 20, 2022.

Anyone interested in receiving ERCOT grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) can sign up here, or can monitor real-time and extended grid conditions HERE.