AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas' electric grid operator says the state's power grid remains strained Wednesday afternoon, but it doesn't expect to ask residential and business customers to conserve electricity.
Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said the state's electric market remains "tight" Wednesday, with roughly 33,000 megawatts of generation capacity offline for maintenance.
"We may see tight grid conditions due to the large number of generators out of service for planned and forced maintenance combined with low wind and solar output forecasted for today," said Woody Rickerson, ERCOT's vice president of grid planning and operations.
ERCOT says it's typical for large generators to be offline for periodic maintenance in the spring, ahead of the demanding summer months.
"Just like maintaining your car, generators must be maintained to keep them running smoothly," Rickerson said. "ERCOT must balance these necessary outages with serving load during the spring and fall months, especially given increased weather volatility."
