The Electric Reliability Council of Texas issued its Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy on Tuesday. Officials with ERCOT and the Texas Public Utility Commission both predict the state will be prepared for winter weather.
"The actions that we have taken over the last year and a half position us as best as we have been to operate the grid reliably, and we expect through the forecast and the likely scenarios that we will see over the course of this winter to be able to have enough supply to be able to meet the reliability needs across the grid," new ERCOT President Pablo Vegas said. "For all of the expected scenarios, we expect to have adequate supply to meet the needs of the grid. For the majority of the scenarios that are in the more extreme condition, we still see adequate supply to meet the reliable operation requirements of the grid."
The report does show the grid would be vulnerable if Texas was hit with another winter storm as severe as the one in 2021.
"There could be not enough power. That's not acceptable," Vegas said. "That's why change is needed in the market design."
The head of the PUC noted the state's growing population could mean an increase in demand during severe weather conditions.
"We fully expect to keep the lights on, like we have this winter...but it's getting harder," PUC Chair Peter Lake said. "We have more people and we have the same amount of reliable dispatchable resources."