ERCOT preparing for record high energy demand this summer

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) says it is hopeful it will be able to meet the high energy demand this summer following a devastating winter

"The resources that we got are enough to keep us out of these controlled outages," said Dan Woodfin the ERCOT senior director of system operations.

Thursday ERCOT gave its seasonal update as we head into the summer months. Officials are hoping this update will help restore trust following the devastating winter storm which resulted in state-wide rolling blackouts and left many Texas without power for days. 

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"We recognize that we failed to appropriately communicate potential risks going into the winter season. These scenarios heading into the summer season is trying to actively not only communicate the risk but also restore trust with the consumers of Texas," said Warren Lasher the ERCOT senior director of system planning.

ERCOT stated while they expect a record high in demand for power this summer, the investments in wind, gas, and solar should help create a big enough reserve. "We expect to reach peak customer demands while maintaining normal operating conditions," said Lasher.

One scenario which they say could put them in an emergency situation would be a combination of really hot days in all major cities resulting in high demand, low generation from wind and solar at the same time, and some generators being out of commission. Though they report the odds of this happening are very low. 

"These additional extreme scenarios is our initial attempt to proactively not only communicate what those extreme risks are but to restore the trust in the consumers of Texas," said Lasher.

ERCOT plans to visit power plants across the state to see if they are prepared for the hot summer months.