'Weather Watch' issued by ERCOT ahead of possible Texas deep freeze

Editor's Note: The above video explains ERCOT's alert levels.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A "Weather Watch" has been issued by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) as the state may experience a deep freeze next week. The "Weather Watch" was issued for Monday, Jan. 15, to Wednesday, Jan. 17.

In a social media post, ERCOT said the extreme cold weather statewide may lead to higher electrical demand, leaving the potential for lower reserves.

As of Wednesday, grid conditions are expected to be normal during the cold weather.

The KXAN First Warning Weather team is tracking the forecast and expects the coldest air of the season to arrive in Central Texas just after the weekend.

The cold temperatures arrive by Monday morning and last through Tuesday or Wednesday.

Temperatures in Central Texas are predicted to be in the 20s and teens. Daytime highs may not get out of the 30s. Wind chills are likely to drop into the teens and 20s. As of Wednesday, wintry precipitation chances are low, but not zero.

ERCOT’s notification system

Anyone who wants to sign up for grid condition notifications via the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) can visit the ERCOT website.

ERCOT has also recently launched the TXANS system to issue weather watch notifications, which are distributed three to five days ahead of forecasted weather that could impact the grid and create high demand.

Understanding ERCOT alert levels

ERCOT has several different Energy Emergency Alert levels, or EEAs. After Normal Grid Conditions, the levels are Conservation Alert level, then EEA 1, 2, and 3.

Here’s what the alert levels mean:

• Conservation Alert: This is a voluntary request to reduce electrical use, ERCOT said. While ERCOT said it is not in emergency operations, it asks the public and “all government agencies to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.”
• Energy Emergency Level 1: Conservation is considered to be critical. We reach this stage when operating reserves drop below 2,300 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes.
• Emergency Level 2: Triggered when reserves are less than 1,750 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes. At this point, ERCOT can reduce demand on the system by interrupting power from large industrial customers who have contractually agreed to have their electricity turned off during an emergency.
• Emergency Level 3: The final level hits when reserves drop below 1,430 MW. If operating reserves then drop below 1,000 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes and/or the grid’s frequency level cannot be maintained at 60 Hz, then ERCOT will implement “controlled outages,” also known as rolling blackouts.