Gas remains the workhorse of the Texas grid
Much has been made about the expansion of wind and solar power, but in the hottest days of August, Texans depended on gas to avert rolling blackouts
The Texas electricity grid made headlines over the summer—most of them crisis-related. Grid managers at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) were forced on many days to issue conservation pleas to users as statewide temperatures regularly soared well over 100°C, creating record demand. In past summers, such requests from ERCOT have been rare, coming mainly during the hottest days of August. “The Texas grid is tired,” said Rob Allerman, senior director of power analytics at research firm Enverus, by which he meant that ERCOT had been asking operators of many coal and gas power plants in the state to delay scheduled downtime for maintenance and upgrades until the crisis-filled sum
Also in this section
26 April 2024
While the US has been breaking records for its premium grade crude, there are doubts over whether you can have too much of a good thing
26 April 2024
Slowing demand growth and capacity expansions will squeeze refiners in coming years
25 April 2024
Some companies with assets in Israel have turned towards Egypt as tensions escalate, but others are holding firm despite rising tensions
24 April 2024
But even planned exploration activity is unlikely to reverse declining output from mature fields