ERCOT: Energy Conservation Call Helped Prevent Grid Overload

(Austin, TX) — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says Monday’s call to conserve energy kept the state’s power grid from being overloaded.

ERCOT had asked residents and businesses statewide to conserve electricity between 2 and 8 p.m. because the heat wave was driving the power grid to near capacity. The agency says the request was a precaution, and that it didn’t expect rolling blackouts to result.

ERCOT says energy demand in Texas reached 78-thousand megawatts at about 3:30 Monday afternoon.