A pedestrian walks through falling snow in San Antonio, on Feb. 14.Photographer: Eric Gay/AP Photo

Texas Grid Operator Begins Rotating Outages as Big Freeze Bites

by · Bloomberg
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Rotating power outages were put into force in Texas as the state’s electricity grid operator grappled with surging demand amid a bitter arctic chill.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid operator, ordered transmission companies to reduce demand on the system after reserves dropped below 1,000 megawatts, according to a Monday alert posted on its website.

“This type of demand reduction is only used as a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole,” the operator said. Spot prices for electricity in Texas earlier passed the grid’s cap of $9,000 per megawatt-hour as the network came under strain.

WATCH: The energy crisis crippling power grids across the U.S. showed few signs of abating Tuesday morning as blackouts left almost 5 million customers without electricity during unprecedented cold weather.
Source: Bloomberg)

About half of the state’s wind turbines were inoperable Sunday morning because of ice and cold, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the grid operator. Meanwhile demand is surging as people crank up heaters, with consumption setting a new winter peak record on Sunday.

(Updates with rotating outages underway)