Texas power grid experiences highest-ever single day demand in June.

Texas’ power grid has reached an all-time high for demand in June as the state faces triple-digit temperatures. On both Monday and Tuesday, the grid saw the most extensive demand for a single day in June, putting it under tighter conditions than usual. Joshua Rhodes, a research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, stated that this does not mean there is an immediate issue with the grid, but the situation remains tighter than expected.

Due to the extreme temperatures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a voluntary conservation notice on Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. to conserve energy. Although there were no grid-related outages, Austin experienced some non-grid-related outages on the same day when grid conditions remained very tight.

According to Matt Mitchell, Austin Energy’s spokesperson, ERCOT’s conservation notice is regular in these situations, and crews are on standby to restore power safely. Mitchell stated that hot and cold weather stresses the technical and electronic aspects of the grid, resulting in the possibility of some components tripping offline.

More gas and coal power plants going offline than anticipated was one of the state’s concerns, as was a reactor that tripped off at the Comanche Peak nuclear plant on Friday. Rhodes expressed concern about possible further offline tripping, causing grid-related issues. However, solar energy generation was a bright spot as Texas continues to go green.

Even though ERCOT has not yet issued a conservation notice for Wednesday, the company remains under the “weather watch.” Experts recommend being prepared and having a plan in case of power outages. Energy experts recommend taking precautions to remain safe, such as signing up for text alerts and reporting an outage to Austin Energy through various means.

As heatwaves continue to saturate Central Texas, contingency plans may be necessary to meet energy demand while keeping the power grid steady.