AUSTIN, Texas — Texans could be days away from energy conservation, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
There is currently a possibility that ERCOT won't have enough power reserves on Tuesday and Wednesday as temperatures heat up this week.
Rising temperatures could lead to an increased power demand during a time when maintenance is usually occurring, which could lead to a power emergency.
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The tight grid conditions could start Tuesday afternoon and last through Wednesday. To ensure enough power, ERCOT could cancel several planned maintenance outages at plants across Texas.
Texas lawmakers have long argued ERCOT's independence is key to the state's relatively low electricity bills. In February, some Texas Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives filed legislation to force Texas to connect its power grid to other states, limiting ERCOT's control over operations.
Under the bill, the Legislature would remain in charge of deciding who will manage the grid, allowing ERCOT to continue calling the shots.
Congressman Greg Casar, an Austin Democrat, said Texans are tired of worrying if the grid will hold up every time temperatures become extremely hot or cold. Casar argued Texas should weatherize and upgrade its existing equipment, while connecting the grid to the east and west, to help keep the power flowing.
"We know that that works," Casar said. "During Winter Storm Uri, places like El Paso, which is actually interconnected to the west, and Beaumont, which is actually interconnected to the east, did not suffer those massive power outages."