Texas power grid: ERCOT weather watch issued for May 8

ERCOT issues weather watch

ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch for May 8, but says grid conditions are expected to be normal.

AUSTIN, Texas - ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch for Wednesday, May 8.

ERCOT says the watch is due to unseasonably high temperatures, high levels of expected maintenance outages during the spring shoulder months, and the potential for lower reserves.

However, grid conditions are expected to be normal.

ERCOT says it will continue to monitor conditions closely and deploy all available tools to manage the grid.

ERCOT stresses that conditions are expected to remain normal. At this point, they’re not asking people to conserve, and there’s no talk of outages.

However, according to ERCOT’s supply and demand dashboard, things are expected to be particularly tight around 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8.

During this weather watch, ERCOT officials are asking Texans to make sure they’re staying updated on grid conditions.

For more on how to sign up for alerts, click here.

So far, no weather watches have been issued beyond Wednesday.

In 2023, May peak demand was 68,159 MW, with the current all-time peak demand record of 85,508 MW set on Aug. 10, 2023.

Texans can sign up for grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS). Texans can also monitor real-time and extended grid conditions online.