Texas Teeters on Edge of Blackouts as Demand Squeezes Grid
- Grid operator issues first emergency declaration since 2021
- ERCOT draws on electricity reserves while urging conservation
Texas hasn’t experienced a grid emergency since February 2021.
Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Texas declared its first power emergency since a deadly winter storm two years ago and came close to rolling blackouts as soaring temperatures roasted the second-largest US state.
The declaration of a so-called Level 2 emergency late Wednesday came in response to shrinking supplies of available power and meant the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator, had to draw on reserves while pushing consumers to curb usage.