PUBLISHED 3:52 PM CDT Jun. 26, 2023AUSTIN, Texas — As extreme heat grips Texas, residents are wondering, “Will the electric grid hold up?”
ERCOT has issued a weather watch this week, saying, “Grid conditions are expected to be normal, but due to forecasted conditions, operating reserves may be lower" “The Legislature did nothing,” said Ed Hirs, an energy fellow at the University of Houston. “And in 2021, they all came out, had press conferences and talked about how great they were and how they fixed the grid. And the fact is, they had not fixed the grid.”
“This isn’t right,” Hirs said. “Texas is the energy capital of the world. And now we’ve got 26 million citizens on the edge of their seats, wondering if they’re going to have power day in, day out.” “Libraries and community centers, senior centers are all open,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. “This is a very dangerous sort of heat wave. And with the humidity mixed in, there’s really not even any relief in the evening period as well.