A Hot Summer Could Cause Another Power Crisis And Blackouts In Texas

Texas could be heading for a second energy crisis this year.

The Energy Reliability Council of Texas recently released its seasonal weather update. In it, ERCOT meteorologists predict that the summer will be drier and hotter than normal.

Data from the National Weather Service supports ERCOT's predictions. The agency's three-month outlooks expects there to be a 60-70% chance that temperatures will be higher than normal for much of the state.

The predictions are important because summer is the time of year when demand for energy skyrockets in Texas. As temperatures rise, so do the number of households using air conditioners and fans to keep cool, which can put a strain on the state's energy grid.

Extreme heat could lead to a situation similar to the deep freeze in February when millions of Texans were left in the dark after ERCOT was unable to meet the high demand for electricity.

ERCOT created three possible extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment, the Texas Tribune reported. In the most extreme scenario, nearly 2.8 million homes could experience blackouts if there's a heat wave and if enough power plants are down.

Recent calls to conserve energy this week sparked concerns that ERCOT is not prepared for the upcoming summer.

“This summer, I am as worried right now [about the grid] as I was coming into this winter. Sounds like I’m the boy that cries wolf, but I’m not. I’ve seen this stuff repeat itself. We can have the same event happen if we don’t fix this," Curt Morgan, CEO of Irving-power company Vistra Corp., told the Tribune.

Texas lawmakers have filed more than 200 bills aimed at reforming ERCOT and improving the electrical grid, including one requiring that all power generation systems be weatherized, KPRC reported.

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