The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is anticipating record-breaking electric demand this summer due to expected hot and dry conditions and continued economic and population growth throughout the region, the company announced in a Thursday news release.

ERCOT is identifying low-probability, high-impact situations similar to the February winter event in its seasonal assessments, the release stated.

“While the risk for emergency conditions remains low this summer based on many of the scenarios studied, a combination of factors in real time, including record demand, high thermal generation outages and low wind/solar output could result in tight grid conditions,” ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Woody Rickerson said. “We cannot control the weather or forced generation outages, but we are prepared to deploy the tools that are available to us to maintain a reliable electric system.”

Despite the demand, ERCOT stated in the news release there will be enough generation to meet the summer 2021 peak demand.  

ERCOT is also monitoring current drought conditions across the state, adding that the grid operator does not believe the drought poses a significant risk at this time. 

The company said they are preparing for the summer demand by coordinating with transmission service providers to limit planned outages during the summer months and requesting generators to contact gas suppliers to identify any pipeline activities that would affect the availability of gas for their generators during the summer season.