(Reuters) – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on Monday to increase operating reserves adding up to an additional 3,000 MW for the upcoming winter peak load season.
The RFP seeks capacity from both dispatchable generation and demand response solutions to cover the period of Dec. 1, 2023, through Feb. 29, 2024, the Texas power grid operator added.
The capacity request was informed by several factors, mainly significant peak load growth since last winter, proposed retirements of dispatchable generation resources, and extreme winter weather events, added the grid operator.
“ERCOT is not projecting energy emergency conditions this winter season, but we want to be prepared and ensure all available tools are readily available if needed,” ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said.
ERCOT which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers hit an all-time high of 85,435 MW on Aug. 10, due to the brutal heat wave.
According to the Monthly Outlook for Resource Adequacy (MORA) report if conditions in winter 2023-24 during peak demand hour were comparable to Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, the probability of entering into emergency conditions would be higher than ERCOT’s acceptable elevated-risk threshold.
Winter Storm Elliott brought sub-freezing temperatures and extreme weather alerts to about two-thirds of the United States knocking out power for more than 1.5 million homes and businesses.
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