You Can See the Future from Here

Back in December, Texas utilities predicted that if the EPA forced them to shut down power plants and did not allow new capacity to come on line, the state would face more power problems:

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees much of the state’s power, released projections this week for grid reliability over the coming years. ERCOT says rolling blackouts like the ones we had last winter remain a possibility. The report includes a list of energy projects that it expected to be online by now but are still on hold, adding to the state’s power crunch.

This week, news from Texas that the hot weather was straining the grid, and asking for voluntary conservation measure to prevent reliability issues:

Texas power use peaked on Monday afternoon at a higher level than in any previous June even as the state urged consumers to limit appliance use to avoid straining power plants, as much of the state broiled under triple-digit temperatures.

Power demand reached 65,047 megawatts in the hour between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. CDT (2200 GMT), surpassing the June record of 63,102 MW set last year, according to preliminary grid data.

Real-time power prices briefly exceeded $100 per megawatt-hour Monday afternoon and next-day power prices in the state traded between $165 and $175 per megawatt-hour, down several dollars from Monday's trades.

The extreme heat hit Sunday when the mercury hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, the three biggest cities in the Lone Star State, prompting residents to crank up air conditioners. Triple-digit highs are forecast for several more days this week, with some high enough to set records, AccuWeather.com forecast.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the grid operator for most of Texas, said in a release it was looking closely at anticipated electric use and available generation.
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ERCOT warned that rolling outages could occur this summer given the state's limited amount of surplus generation.

 Couldn't happen to you could it?