By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-980496.mp3
Dallas, TX – As extreme heat produces extreme electricity use, operators of this region's energy grid are taking steps to avoid rolling power outages. KERA's Shelley Kofler has more.
With another record setting day of heat on Wednesday ERCOT declared a level one energy emergency. ERCOT operates the electric grid that serves most of Texas and it said reserves had dipped too low.
It called for voluntary conservation to avoid a level 2 response which calls for dropping the electricity to commercial users paid to help out in emergencies.
Vice President Kent Saathoff says ERCOT hopes to avoid a situation where electric companies are asked to implement a level three response, rolling power outages.
Saathoff: We'll tell them how many of rotating mw that we need. And they know before what their percentage is of those megawatts. Then its up to them to drop that amount of megawatts and determine which of their areas will be interrupted.
As consumers learned in February during the ice storms, the rolling outages often take place with little advanced notice.