ERCOT: Texas power grid will withstand Jan. 20-23 cold snap

Grid conditions are expected to be normal during the watch period, ERCOT said in a news release, and officials do not anticipate an emergency.

There were no grid issues during a freeze earlier this month. Snow fell across the Dallas-Fort Worth area and temperatures dipped as low as 21 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—but officials did not ask residents to conserve power.

Larger portions of Texas should expect winter precipitation this time around, according to the National Weather Service. Residents of the Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas may see snow or wintry mix late Jan. 20.

As of 1:30 p.m. Jan. 17, the NWS is forecasting the following:

• At Austin’s Camp Mabry, temperatures will dip below freezing late Jan. 18, with a chance of snow beginning Jan. 20.
• At Stinson Municipal Airport in San Antonio, below-freezing temperatures will begin late Jan. 19. A mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow is possible late Jan. 20.
• At Dallas Love Field, temperatures will drop into the 20s late Jan. 18, and residents could see snow showers beginning Jan. 20.
• At William P. Hobby Airport in Houston, temperatures will dip below freezing late Jan. 19. Snow is possible beginning Jan. 20.

After Winter Storm Uri blanketed communities with snow in February 2021, state lawmakers passed legislation requiring energy providers to “weatherize” their power generation and transmission facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures.

The 2021 storm left millions of Texas households without power for days and led to nearly 250 deaths, according to previous reporting. Texas has not experienced a disaster of that scale since, although over 2 million people lost power due to local issues in the Houston area after Hurricane Beryl swept through the region in July.

The last time ERCOT asked residents to conserve electricity was during a January 2024 freeze, according to agency records.

Over 10,000 megawatts of generation capacity have been added to Texas’ power grid since March, which will help reduce the likelihood of future outages, officials said Dec. 3.

“We've got more supply on the grid than we’ve ever had before,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said Jan. 8. “The generator and transmission community has been doing everything they need to do to make sure that their facilities will be running safely and reliably throughout events just like this.”

Looking ahead

There will be enough power available to meet demand next week, according to ERCOT’s supply and demand forecast, which is updated periodically. Electric demand is expected to hit a peak of 75,398 megawatts at 8 a.m. Jan. 20, with over 101,000 megawatts of supply available.

During cold periods, demand for electricity typically spikes when people get up in the morning and return home in the evening. Less solar and wind power are available during these “higher-risk” periods, Vegas said Dec. 3, which can cause tight grid conditions.

When demand is high, and wind and solar capacity are low, ERCOT may direct large industrial customers to reduce their power consumption. If that does not do enough to keep the grid balanced, officials may then ask Texans to voluntarily reduce their energy use for a few hours.

Learn more

For information about weather conditions, school closures, warming shelters and more during the cold snap, visit www.communityimpact.com or subscribe to local newsletters.

Residents can sign up for notifications about the power grid at www.ercot.com/txans and register for ERCOT’s emergency alerts here.