STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS - Two U.S. electric grids may not have enough power to meet demand plus required reserves on Thursday as homes and businesses crank up their air conditioners to escape a brutal heat wave blanketing Texas and other U.S. Central states.
When a grid does not have enough resources to meet demand plus required reserves, operators can take emergency steps to reduce usage and increase supplies. AccuWeather forecast temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, would reach 107 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday. That compares with a normal high of 94 F for this time of year.
Unlike other U.S. grids, which can import thousands of megawatts from neighboring regions, ERCOT is heavily dependent on its own generation since its transmission system has few interconnections with neighboring systems.