(May 15, 2020)
ERCOT predicts Texas will experience record summer electricity consumption from June to September driven mainly by high temperatures.
“There is a lot of uncertainty in today’s world, but we are confident that Texas will still be hot this summer,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. “Texans will need electric power as they do every summer, and ERCOT is prepared to do our part to keep it flowing reliably.”
This week, ERCOT released its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for the summer months (June – September), along with a preliminary assessment of the fall and a revised Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) Report.
The adjusted forecast predicts the peak load will be 75,200 MW – which is down 1,496 MW from original SARA predictions. These adjustments are a direct result of economic impacts from COVID-19. This new forecast increases the summer 2020 reserve margin from 10.6 percent to 12.6 percent.
ERCOT believes this forecast will meet the expected energy demand under normal operating conditions. However, extreme weather, lower wind energy generation, and high summer temperatures could result in ERCOT declaring Energy Emergency Alerts (EEAs).
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