Will record heat once again take down the Texas power grid? Officials are worried
Hotter-than-usual weather in Texas this past month is bringing to light a very serious problem that has yet to be addressed: a failing power grid.
For the second time in a week, record heat drove up the energy load in Texas to the point that brownouts and blackouts were possible. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says everything is fine and not to worry, but outside experts are not so sure.
ERCOT, which provides electricity for 27 million customers, projected that power demand would peak at 75,296 megawatts (MW) on May 24 and 75,952 MW on May 26. The current record for the month of May is 72,261 MW on May 20 with an all-time peak of 85,508 MW on Aug. 10, 2023.
As of this writing, ERCOT says the Texas energy grid is currently operating normally with enough power supply available to…
