View Gallery: Texas Winter Storm: Freeze returns to Austin in 2022 On Friday, demand is expected to peak at just under 75,000 megawatts at about 8 a.m. at just under 70,000 megawatts - compared to demand of about 52,500 megawatts at the same time Wednesday before the storm. Peak electricity demand Thursday is expected at around 8 p.m. Still, ERCOT listed its operating reserves at about 8,800 megawatts, and it said previously that the grid has a total generating capacity of about 86,000 megawatts if needed. Grid conditions were normal - meaning power supplies were sufficient for current demand - according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid.ĭemand totaled about 63,800 megawatts shortly after 11 a.m., compared to about 45,000 megawatts around the same time Wednesday, before the storm hit. Texas grid continues to operate amid freezeĭespite localized power outages in some regions, the Texas electricity grid was continuing to hold up by midday Thursday to soaring demand for power statewide caused by freezing temperatures and a wintry mix of sleet and snow. Of those without power, the outage map showed that 2,348 people were without electricity in downtown Austin, 175 were without power in the North Loop area, and 281 people were without power in Rollingwood and West Lake Hills in West Austin. Thursday reported that about 3,140 customers remained without power. JP Urban, executive vice president for PEC, said there are still a few outages throughout its coverage area, some due to failed equipment that have since been remedied, but that “for the most part things are going smoothly, and they are maintaining with over 99% of meters active.”Īustin Energy by 12:20 p.m. The company manages more than 366,000 meters south and west of Austin, and in the Hill Country. Most Hays and Comal County residents have seen power return on Thursday afternoon.Īccording to the Pedernales Electric Cooperative outage map, around 66 people – mainly in Comal County – were without power as of 3 p.m. One megawatt of electricity can power about 200 homes. At the time, multiple days of subfreezing temperatures and prolonged precipitation caused a cascade of failures across the energy sector - triggering extensive blackouts on the grid that contributed to hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in property damage. The previous $9,000 price ceiling was behind much of the direct financial havoc caused by the near collapse of the power grid in February 2021. In December, state regulators cut the maximum allowable price by about 45%, dropping it from $9,000 per megawatt hour to $5,000. The typical wholesale spot price under normal circumstances is about $25 per megawatt hour. The spot price of wholesale electricity on the grid was averaging about $36 per megawatt hour Thursday afternoon, although some prices in the day-ahead wholesale market topped $131. That’s because the state's deregulated electricity market relies mainly on financial incentives to prompt generators to deliver more power to the grid in times of high usage. Prices on the ERCOT wholesale electricity market were climbing as a result of the big demand. and total 73,486 megawatts, according to ERCOT’s latest forecast. On Friday, demand is expected to peak around 8 a.m. compared to demand of about 52,500 megawatts at the same time Wednesday, prior to the storm. Peak electricity demand Thursday is estimated at 67,300 megawatts at around 8 p.m. Still, ERCOT listed its operating reserves at about 8,500 megawatts Thursday afternoon, and it said previously that the grid has a total generating capacity of about 86,000 megawatts if needed. Storm-related problems, such as downed power lines, caused scattered power outages in some regions.īut grid conditions were normal overall - meaning power supplies were sufficient for current demand - according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid.ĭemand totaled about 63,800 megawatts around 3:30 p.m., a substantial increase from about 46,000 megawatts around the same time Wednesday, before the storm hit. The Texas power grid continued to generate more than enough electricity Thursday afternoon to outstrip big demand statewide amid freezing temperatures and a wintry mix of sleet and snow. Peak demand for Texas grid coming Friday morning Stay up to date with the latest news and alerts on this winter storm by downloading the Austin American-Statesman's app today. Watch Video: 2022 winter storm will be different in Texas than 2021 freeze
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |