ERCOT asks Lower Rio Grande Valley residents to limit electric usage
2015/6/4??????view:
The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas wants electricity customers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region to reduce their consumption through Friday, especially during the 3-7 pm CDT peak demand hours, the grid operator said Wednesday.
Real-time power prices in ERCOT's South Load Zone jumped to $134/MWh at 1:30 pm CDT, shortly after ERCOT posted the statement, while prices in all other zones and hubs averaged around $26.50/MWh.
"Due to some unplanned generating unit outages, together with early summer high demand for electricity, we expect to need help from consumers to help maintain system reliability in the Valley area for the remainder of this week," Dan Woodfin, ERCOT director of system operations, said.
A request for additional information from ERCOT on the outages and impact was not immediately returned.
Peak load hit 4,350 MW at 2 pm CDT Wednesday in ERCOT's Southern weather zone, which contains the Lower Rio Grande Valley region. Demand reached 4,475 MW at 5 pm Tuesday, 4,375 MW Monday and 3,600 MW Sunday.
Temperatures in Brownsville, Texas, were expected to top out at 88 through Friday, according to The Weather Channel. The average high temperature is in the upper 80s to low 90s this time of year for that region.
ERCOT forecast overall load across its grid would peak at 54,350 MW at 5 pm CDT Wednesday and 57,125 MW Thursday. ERCOT's all-time record peak of 68,305 MW occurred August 3, 2011, during the hottest summer on record.
This is a precautionary measure to ensure ERCOT can maintain overall reliability in the region during the high-demand period, Woodfin said.
"Until current efforts to increase transmission and generation capabilities to serve the growing Valley region are complete, even minimal unplanned outages during high electricity demand periods can create challenges," he said.
On October 8, 2014, ERCOT initiated rotating outages in the Lower Rio Grande Valley for about an hour after three generating units suddenly went offline. The next day an transmission line tripped, which led ERCOT to issue a second emergency notice in as many days for the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
That was the fourth time ERCOT had initiated rotating outages. Other events occurred in 1989 due to cold weather, April 2006 due to hot weather and February 2011 due to cold weather, ERCOT spokeswoman Robbie Searcy said.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is located at the southernmost tip of South Texas and borders Mexico. As one of the fastest growing -- and poorest -- areas in the US, the Lower Rio Grande Valley is vulnerable due to its limited electric generation and transmission infrastructure.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley population is roughly 1.5 million and is expected to increase by more than 1 million by 2020.
Real-time power prices in ERCOT's South Load Zone jumped to $134/MWh at 1:30 pm CDT, shortly after ERCOT posted the statement, while prices in all other zones and hubs averaged around $26.50/MWh.
"Due to some unplanned generating unit outages, together with early summer high demand for electricity, we expect to need help from consumers to help maintain system reliability in the Valley area for the remainder of this week," Dan Woodfin, ERCOT director of system operations, said.
A request for additional information from ERCOT on the outages and impact was not immediately returned.
Peak load hit 4,350 MW at 2 pm CDT Wednesday in ERCOT's Southern weather zone, which contains the Lower Rio Grande Valley region. Demand reached 4,475 MW at 5 pm Tuesday, 4,375 MW Monday and 3,600 MW Sunday.
Temperatures in Brownsville, Texas, were expected to top out at 88 through Friday, according to The Weather Channel. The average high temperature is in the upper 80s to low 90s this time of year for that region.
ERCOT forecast overall load across its grid would peak at 54,350 MW at 5 pm CDT Wednesday and 57,125 MW Thursday. ERCOT's all-time record peak of 68,305 MW occurred August 3, 2011, during the hottest summer on record.
This is a precautionary measure to ensure ERCOT can maintain overall reliability in the region during the high-demand period, Woodfin said.
"Until current efforts to increase transmission and generation capabilities to serve the growing Valley region are complete, even minimal unplanned outages during high electricity demand periods can create challenges," he said.
On October 8, 2014, ERCOT initiated rotating outages in the Lower Rio Grande Valley for about an hour after three generating units suddenly went offline. The next day an transmission line tripped, which led ERCOT to issue a second emergency notice in as many days for the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
That was the fourth time ERCOT had initiated rotating outages. Other events occurred in 1989 due to cold weather, April 2006 due to hot weather and February 2011 due to cold weather, ERCOT spokeswoman Robbie Searcy said.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is located at the southernmost tip of South Texas and borders Mexico. As one of the fastest growing -- and poorest -- areas in the US, the Lower Rio Grande Valley is vulnerable due to its limited electric generation and transmission infrastructure.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley population is roughly 1.5 million and is expected to increase by more than 1 million by 2020.
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