ERCOT Update: Phantom Reserve Margins Could Mean Power Problems This Summer

Just when you thought it was safe to turn the lights on. In the aftermath of the epic failure of the Texas power grid during last week's winter storm, the question now is, will the power grid hold up when there is high demand over the summer? One local expert told KTRH, he doesn't think so. Jason Isaac of the Texas Public Policy Foundation said "What you're going to see this summer is rolling outages, and times in August we will be without electricity." No electricity in the summer? In Texas? The energy capitol of the world? Isaac said "This is something that we have known was coming for years. I actually wrote about it last July! If it wasn't for Covid, this would have happened in August." So now, with all of the blame on ERCOT, Isaac told KTRH it's up to State lawmakers to make changes. And what can be done to make sure this doesn't happen? "We need reliable thermal based generators here in the state of Texas to run on our clean coal, natural gas, and nuclear, to actually meet the demands of Texans. We don't need help from Washington. That's what got us in this problem." Hopefully that help from Texas lawmakers will start to happen this week, when the heat is put on ERCOT in Austin.


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