This time, it’s not only energy that needs to be conserved, waters too…thanks, Joe!
The state’s power grid operator is requesting Texans to raise their thermostats to 78 degrees and refrain from using heavy appliances for the second time this week as it anticipates record-high demand for power due to the continued high temperatures.
It requests conservation between 2 and 9 o’clock Wednesday.
Low wind conditions and higher-than-expected outages at coal and gas-fired power facilities prompted the call for conservation, which coincided with rising demand brought on by above-average temperatures.
The letter comes after a similar request for conservation made by the city’s water supplier, the North Texas Municipal Water District, on Saturday (NTMWD).
In that request, the NTMWD asked that all municipalities that utilize the provider’s purified water “immediately” cut back on water use, “particularly outdoor water use,” because it was necessary to perform repairs to relieve pressure on certain of its water treatment facilities.
The Wylie Water Treatment Plant Complex has four water treatment plants, but one of them unexpectedly had to stop producing water last week in order to undertake the “essential maintenance [that would be] required to put the plant back to full water purification capability,” according to the NTMWD.
Meanwhile, the representative of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s primary power system operator said, Rolling blackouts are not anticipated to occur on Wednesday.
“The fleet has been run extremely hard this year and especially this summer, so it’s not surprising that wear-and-tear is starting to bear out in the form of components breaking,” said Michele Richmond, executive director of the Texas Competitive Power Advocates, which represents power generators.
The first safety measure is to encourage people to reduce their own electrical usage. The grid operator will then instruct Texans to reduce their electricity use and warn the public that the grid may not have enough power to meet demand. Texans in some locations may lose power for up to 45 minutes at a time during controlled, rotating power outages, which ERCOT would implement if the grid’s conditions don’t improve.
Power grids around the world are facing tests this summer as climate change has led to hotter temperatures and Russia’s war with Ukraine has strained fuel supplies.
Texas heat is becoming more intense and lasts longer due to climate change. In Texas, the average daily minimum and maximum temperatures have risen by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit each over the previous 125 years. The state just saw the warmest December since records began in 1889.
Watch it here: Youtube/WFAA
Sources: Dailywire, Nwnewsradio, Abcnews
