Millions may be left without electricity due to the heat wave sweeping across the largest US state

ERCOT and MISO, two major electric grid operators in the United States, are facing potential power outages due to the severe heat wave that has hit Texas and other central states. As residents and businesses use more air conditioning due to extreme temperature conditions, these networks struggle to meet the growing demand for energy and the necessary reserves.

ERCOT, which provides electricity to more than 26 million customers, urged Texans to voluntarily reduce their electricity use., as you would expect a lack of backup power. Service providers maintain reserves against unexpected breakdowns of large power plants or transmission lines. If the grid is unable to meet demand and necessary reserves, operators can take emergency measures such as importing power from other regions, encouraging energy conservation, and

In extreme cases, controlled periodic blackouts are introduced to avoid uncontrolled blackouts.

Texans have been particularly concerned about severe weather since February 2021, when a deadly storm left millions without basic services like power, water and heat for several days. During this time, ERCOT struggled to prevent a complete collapse of the network.

Temperatures in Houston, the largest city in Texas, will reach 107 degrees Fahrenheit (41.7 degrees Celsius) on Thursday, according to AccuWeather.It is much higher than the usual high temperature of 34°C at this time of year.

They don’t expect record demand — it’s expected to reach 84,928 megawatts, down from a record 85,435 megawatts on Aug. 10 — but ERCOT predicts that reserves won’t be enough due to unavailability of some plants. Unlike other US grids, which can import thousands of megawatts from neighboring regions, ERCOT relies heavily on its own generation because its transmission system has only limited connectivity with neighboring systems.

In response to these challenges, daily rates in ERCOT’s North Node have increased from $255 per MWh on Wednesday to $925 per MWh on Thursday.K. This is significantly higher than the year-to-date average ($75), last year’s average ($78) and the five-year average 2018-2022 ($66).

MISO continues to struggle to meet expected demand Thursday as extreme heat caused near-record electricity demand and unplanned power outages over the past 12 hours. MISO expects 125,907 MW of available storage, but expects peak demand to exceed supply to a record 127,692 MW.

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