ERCOT issues Transmission Emergency in South, Southeast Texas

The Brief

• ERCOT issued a Transmission Emergency in South and Southeast Texas for loss of transmission from freezing precipitation at 5 a.m.

• Supply and demand for ERCOT still looks good.

HOUSTON - According to Operations Messages on the ERCOT website, around 5 a.m. ERCOT issued a Transmission Emergency in South and Southeast Texas.

The alert says the emergency is due to loss of transmission from freezing precipitation.

The operations messages are internal communications that ERCOT has with its own control room.

What does this mean?

What we know

Transmission is how they get the power from the generators to the grid, then from the grid to your home. The loss of transmission means the power can't move, and ERCOT is saying it is because of the freezing precipitation.

However, when you look at the supply and demand, those still look good.

Also, the grid conditions for ERCOT is still in good shape.

What we don't know

The alert is a red flag, but because it is internal, we are not sure how large of a problem it is or how long it is going to last.

ERCOT issues Weather Watch

ERCOT issued a WATCH for Monday afternoon, January 20, 2025, through Wednesday morning, January 22, 2025, due to the increasing risk of freezing precipitation generally over a large area. Generally, East of Interstate 35, and South of Interstate 20 corridor within the ERCOT Region.

If you experience any issues as a direct result of the weather event, notify ERCOT.

The Source

Information in this article is from ERCOT and FOX 26 Houston.