Breaking: ERCOT Orders Rotating Outages

Email This Story
February 2, 2011  9:43 a.m. est

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has instructed utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate for a generation shortage due to numerous plant trips that occurred because of the extreme weather.

Rolling outages began at approximately 5:45 a.m. local time.  It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will last, ERCOT said.  

About 7,000 MW of generation was lost due to the extreme cold, wind, and ice.

ERCOT confirmed that at the height of the event, about 4,000 MW had to be shed.  As of shortly before 8:30 a.m. local time, the amount of load shed had been reduced to 3,500 MW.

As would be expected in a shortage, pricing has hit the system wide offer cap of $3,000.

At 2:49 a.m. local time this morning, ERCOT issued an Advisory due to Physical Responsive Capability being below 3,000 MW.  At 3:12 a.m. ERCOT issued an Operating Condition Notice due to a projected reserve capacity shortage for Hour Ending 0800 through Hour Ending 1300 for operating day 2/2/11.

At 5:08 a.m., ERCOT issued a watch due to Physical Responsive Capability being below 2,500 MW.

At 5:18 a.m., ERCOT declared Level 2A of the Energy Emergency Alert (EEA).

At 5:43 a.m., ERCOT declared Level 3 of the Energy Emergency Alert (EEA).

The rolling outages typically last 10-45 minutes per neighborhood.

The last grid-wide rolling curtailments were believed to have been in April 2006, when the legislature was not in session.

Email This Story

HOME

Copyright 2010-11 Energy Choice Matters.  If you wish to share this story, please email or post the website link; unauthorized copying, retransmission, or republication prohibited.

 

Be Seen By Energy Professionals in Retail and Wholesale Marketing

Run Ads with Energy Choice Matters

Call Paul Ring

954-205-1738

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Choice
                            

Matters