ERCOT Sets New Winter Peak Demand Record

“The ERCOT system performed well during this winter weather event, and there were sufficient generation and transmission resources available to keep up with demand,” said ERCOT Senior Director of System Operations Dan Woodfin.

AUSTIN, TX, Jan. 4, 2018 – ERCOT, the grid operator for most of Texas, set a new winter demand record on Wednesday, Jan. 3, between 7 and 8 a.m.

Electricity demand reached 62,855 MW*, surpassing the previous winter record by more than 3,200 MW.

“The ERCOT system performed well during this winter weather event, and there were sufficient generation and transmission resources available to keep up with demand,” said ERCOT Senior Director of System Operations Dan Woodfin.

The previous winter peak record was 59,650 MW, set Jan. 6, 2017 between 6 and 7 p.m. ERCOT broke this previous record during several hours Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

*This number is preliminary and subject to change pending final settlement in the ERCOT market.

ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, manages the flow of electric power to nearly 24 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 570 generation units. ERCOT also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for more than 7 million premises in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature.