The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the electric grid operator and manager of the wholesale electric market in the state, announced March 1 the organization is preparing to ensure there is adequate capacity during peak electricity usage times during the summer following predictions that once again, Texas will have a hotter than normal summer.
ERCOT's preliminary summer assessment takes into account the National Weather Service's three-month outlook, which calls for above-normal temperatures for Texas this summer, although not as extreme as those of 2011.
"Assuming we get a somewhat hotter than normal summer, and that we have normal generator outages, we expect things to be tight, but we do not expect to do rolling outages," said Kent Saathoff, vice president of Grid Operations and System Planning.
The Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy, an ERCOT report that is released quarterly, examines the spring and gives a preliminary assessment of summer conditions that includes the weather, power plants status and the impact of factors such as economic activity and drought.
Saathoff said ERCOT does not expect the drought to be as big of an issue as in 2011, when the organization recorded its highest-ever energy usage in August and had to implement emergency procedures due to low reserves.
"Recent rains have helped the situation, so we do not expect that drought to have a significant effect on generator availability this summer," he said. "However, if the drought picks back up and continues, it could be an issue in 2013."
To prepare for the summer, ERCOT is working with the Public Utility Commission to increase load management options, or the customers that are paid to be available for the interruption of their electric service in an emergency situation. This would include both large industrial companies and smaller industrial and commercial companies.
ERCOT is also considering increasing electric generation through bringing back generating units that have been idled in the case of an emergency.
The Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy will be updated May 1.