Energy Emergency Alert 3

Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 is the third, and most critical, level of emergency operations. During an EEA 3, ERCOT will direct transmission operators across the ERCOT region to reduce power on the grid through controlled outages, which impact all customer classes, including residential, commercial, and industrial.

Conservation is critical in an EEA 3. Please continue to conserve electricity when you have power during these controlled outages. Energy-saving tips are available on the TXANS page.

ERCOT has requested all government agencies (including city and county offices) to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.

How Do Controlled Outages Work?

Controlled outages are electric service interruptions ordered by ERCOT and implemented by local/regional utilities and transmission operators. They are used as a last resort to quickly reduce electric demand and preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole. Controlled outages impact all customer classes, including residential, commercial, and industrial.

ERCOT provides a percentage of load reduction to the local/regional utilities and transmission operators. Each transmission operator or local/regional utility company is responsible for how to decrease demand and manage the outage within their service area. In most cases, controlled outages are rotated among residential and business customers for up to 45 minutes at a time. In extreme circumstances, more prolonged outages may be required to balance supply and demand on the electric system.

What We’re Doing Now

ERCOT has directed transmission operators and local/regional utilities across the ERCOT region to reduce power on the grid through controlled outages, which impact all customer classes, including residential, commercial, and industrial.

ERCOT is working to prevent damage and uncontrolled, cascading outages on the electric grid. This includes closely managing supply and demand while working with generation owners to increase their supply as soon as soon as possible.

The use of controlled outages is one of the last remaining steps in a series needed to maintain overall grid stability. Prior to the use of controlled outages, ERCOT brought all available generation online, released available reserves from ancillary services, implemented voltage reduction, and used demand response to lower electric demand. ERCOT is also working with out-of-state Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Market Participants to obtain any additional power generation capacity.

ERCOT does not own, operate, or maintain any of the generation units on the grid, but ERCOT works closely with the Market Participants that own and operate these units.

Electric Grid Description

When reserves on the system get low, ERCOT begins emergency operations using three levels of Energy Emergency Alerts (EEAs). These levels provide access to additional power sources only available during emergency conditions to protect the reliability of the electric system. Entering emergency operations does not mean that ERCOT is expecting to call for controlled power outages, which would affect all customer classes, including residential, commercial, and industrial. Entering emergency operations means that ERCOT has access to more power reserves that help prevent power outages.

An EEA 3 is issued when ERCOT’s operating reserves have dropped below 1,500 MW, or frequency drops below 59.8 Hz for any period of time. ERCOT has directed Transmission and Distribution Service Providers to reduce demand, which they do through controlled outages, which impact every customer class, including residential, commercial, and industrial.

When ERCOT directs TDSPs to reduce demand, each provider is given a percentage in megawatts to reduce demand in their service area (see load shed table). Each local/regional utility and transmission operator is responsible for how to manage outage in their service area.

See ERCOT’s news releases or this overview of emergency conditions for more information. 

1 MW is enough to serve about 250 residential customers during ERCOT peak hours.

What You Can Do

You can use these energy-saving tips to lower your electric use during this peak demand time, if safe to do so. Simple steps, such as lowering/raising your thermostat a degree or two, turning off extra lights, and not using large appliances, such as washer, dryers and dishwashers, can help.

Stay Updated

• Subscribe to ERCOT EmergencyAlerts, which are automated notices only sent under emergency conditions.
• Sign up for TXANS notifications on the TXANS webpage to receive additional information.
• Download our app (available through the Apple Store and Google Play).
• Monitor current and extended conditions on our website at ERCOT.com.
• Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO), Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), and LinkedIn (ERCOT).
  
  

Consumer Assistance

Public Utility Commission Consumer Hotline: 1-888-782-8477

Office of Public Utility Counsel Consumer Assistance: 1-877-839-0363

Utility Directories

http://www.puc.state.tx.us/industry/electric/directories/Default.aspx