Texas’ power grid operator is asking residents to voluntarily cut back on electricity due to anticipated record demand on the system as a heat wave keeps parts of the state and southern U.S. in triple-digit temperatures. Much of Texas on Tuesday was under excessive heat warnings. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas' request is its first this year asking customers to curtail their energy use. In neighboring Oklahoma, meanwhile, more than 100,000 customers are eagerly awaiting the restoration of power and air conditioning following weekend storms that downed trees and snapped hundreds of utility poles. And in Louisiana, the Southwestern Electric Power Company says more than 93,000 of its customers remained without power as of Tuesday morning.
This will be an interesting situation in the next few years. People have been moving into the state in heavy numbers creating an energy burden, the state government has looked the other way on producers following maintenance schedules over profit so idle capacity isn’t certain to come online, and the governor’s threat that a better grid will cost consumers.
This will be an interesting situation in the next few years. People have been moving into the state in heavy numbers creating an energy burden, the state government has looked the other way on producers following maintenance schedules over profit so idle capacity isn’t certain to come online, and the governor’s threat that a better grid will cost consumers.