Normal Conditions

Electricity demand and current load are balanced. There are no issues at this time. Should conditions change, ERCOT will proceed with the Energy Emergency Alerts.

ERCOT ENERGY EMERGENCY ALERTS

What are Energy Emergency Alerts?

If an unusually high electricity demand or unexpected loss of large generation units causes our operating reserves to drop below our target threshold, ERCOT operators will begin a progressive series of emergency procedures Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) to maintain system reliability.

Power Watch - EEA 1

EEA 1 gives ERCOT operators authority to call on all available power supply, including power from other grids if available.

Power Warning - EEA 2

If the situation does not improve, ERCOT escalates to a Power Warning, which allows operators to drop large commercial/industrial load resources under contract to be interrupted during an emergency.

Power Emergency - EEA 3

If the capacity shortage is not relieved by the contract demand response, ERCOT moves to a Power Emergency and will instruct utilities to reduce demand by dropping load through rotating outages in order to avoid the risk of a statewide blackout.

How can I be notified of Energy Emergency Alerts?

You can see real-time notices of Energy Emergency Alerts on Operation Messages on ERCOT.com or by following ERCOT on Twitter or by 'liking' the Facebook page.

Track the daily peak electricity demand forecast and current load at or view peak demand by the hour at Actual Loads.

CONSERVATION TIPS

Consumers can help by shutting off unnecessary lights and electrical appliances. Other conservation tips are available from the Public Utility Commission’s "Powerful Advice” .

Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible. Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.