Texas power grid operator urges conservation

The Associated Press

August 25, 2011

AUSTIN — The manager of the state’s power grid is again urging Texans to conserve electricity as extreme heat pushes demand near record levels.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas initiated a “Level 2” emergency Wednesday, asking large-scale customers to shut down parts of operations as reserves fell below 1,750 megawatts.

Kent Saathoff, ERCOT’s vice president of system planning and operations, said the risk of rotating outages was low, but the agency urged customers to conserve from 3 to 7 p.m. each day through the weekend.

ERCOT issued similar warnings in early August, when record demand of 68,294 megawatts was set Aug. 3. The agency said demand Wednesday was expected to surpass 67,000 megawatts.

Austin broke an 86-year-old record Wednesday with its 70th day of triple-digit temperatures this year.