ERCOT Expects High Demand Tuesday

Additional capacity expected to be available Tuesday

Demand for electricity peaked to record numbers on Monday and high demand is expected to continue this afternoon.

On Monday, demand peaked at 62,762 megawatts between 4-5 p.m.  That number is lower than the forecastd of 65,000 MW, but still high when capacity is low.

"We appreciate the efforts from businesses and consumers who reduced their electricity consumption in response to our appeal for conservation," said Kent Saathoff, vice president of grid operations and system planning.

ERCOT said they entered an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 at 3:30 p.m. Monday when reserves dropped below 2,300 MW due to the unexpected loss of about 2,000 MW generation and high temperatures. The alert was cancelled at 4:55 p.m. but a "watch" remains in effect until reserves reach a comfortable threshold.

The electricity demand forecast for Tuesday is 64,400 MW, but ERCOT said the units that failed Monday are expected to be available today, in addition to other capacity that was not available yesterday. 

In short, the supply should be able to meet the demand.  According to ERCOT, one megawatt can power about 200 Texas homes during hot weather when air conditioners are running for longer periods of time.  Under more normal conditions, a megawatt can power about 500 homes.

Monday's demand of 62,752 MW is a record for the month of June, surpassing the previous record of 62,278 MW, set on Jun 25, 2009. ERCOT's all-time electricity demand is 65,776 MW, which occurred on Aug. 23, 2010.

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