Posted on 02/02/2011 5:54:36 AM PST by BuckeyeTexan
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has ordered utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate for a generation shortage due high usage in extreme weather. Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of service designed to ease the load on the electric grid. To see recent reports on the grid load, click here.
The outages last anywhere from 10-45 minutes and the locations and durations are determined by the local utilities.
Critical need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes are generally not included It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will last.
Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use to the lowest level possible, including these steps:
That’s right out of “Little House on the Prairie.”
So I’ve heard but tell that to my feet which claim it’s warmer with more heat coming into just a couple rooms.
Ha, no. Up thread someone’s neighbor’s dog got skunk sprayed last night. Yes, the recipe was for the dog.
According to the article: not only did two plants shut down, additional reserve plants did not come on line as expected.
Those reserve plants are fueled by natural gas, and low pressure in the supply (also reportedly caused by the cold weather) kept them from starting up to meet the need.
“According to ERCOT, the outages were necessary because of a shortage of available power after some plants were knocked offline due broken water pipes at the Oak Grove and Sand Hill plants. Natural gas power plants that should have provided back up had difficulty starting due to low pressure in the supply lines, also caused by the cold weather.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said this event was something that ‘should not happen’ and that the demand placed on the Texas grid was nowhere near peak capacity. He said he was frustrated by the situation ERCOT said energy conservation is still critical during peak demand hours this evening between 6 and 10 p.m.”
“According to ERCOT, the outages were necessary because of a shortage of available power after some plants were knocked offline due broken water pipes at the Oak Grove and Sand Hill plants. Natural gas power plants that should have provided back up had difficulty starting due to low pressure in the supply lines, also caused by the cold weather.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said this event was something that ‘should not happen’ and that the demand placed on the Texas grid was nowhere near peak capacity. He said he was frustrated by the situation ERCOT said energy conservation is still critical during peak demand hours this evening between 6 and 10 p.m.”
Grrrrrr. Double posts driving me crazy again. No, I’m not clicking post twice or timing out and reposting.
Which nuclear power plant was that?
I am not sure. Brazos, I think.
Then they will be paying for my death and my internet bill since I am having trouble getting on.
Walked in the door from running out for BBQ (had a bad hankering after reading this article http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2667636/posts) and the kids had on every dang light in the house, three TVS, and the PS3.
I walked around turning off everything while hollering at them about your oxygen. :)
“Yes, the recipe was for the dog.”
LOL—I think I will try this on my dog anyway. She just plain stinks.
Ahhhhh.....
That's because leftists are incredibly stupid. The only way this is connected to money is that the government has made it enormously expensive to build an adequate supply of power through rogue actions by EPA and their tree-hugging friends.
Leftists love to hamstring their enemies and then point to them walking funny as a sign of their own superiority.
That’s what they did in the 2008 “financial crisis” where their housing mandates created the enormous bubble that almost collapsed the mortgage industry, and they turned around and blamed it on “capitalism.”
***“According to ERCOT, the outages were necessary because of a shortage of available power after some plants were knocked offline due broken water pipes at the Oak Grove and Sand Hill plants.”***
I believe one problem is ERCOT is a power poor strictly in Texas, and has no interconnections to non Texas utility companies.
If they had interstate connections, the the US Government would try to regulate them.
In reading the history of the company, ERCOT used to have an interstate connection in Oklahoma, but when it was found, the company disconnected and had their engineers build the disconnect so it could never be connected with the Oklahoma connections again.
We’ve gone from 1 state, TX, having energy shortagtes to suddenly 4 states are having shortages. NM, AZ, CA, have all jumped on the shortage bandwagon.
What was that different about this cold snap? It’s looking more like the “Big Lie” to me.
On the otherhand, perhaps shortages will get the administration to get off it’s hands and change it’s insane no energy policy.
I have heard whisperings that in addition to the two downed plants that our resources were not properly winterized in advance. IMO, the outages were not a big lie to generate fear.
I have heard whisperings that in addition to the two downed plants that our resources were not properly winterized in advance. IMO, the outages were not a big lie to generate fear.
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