ERCOT Reactivating Generating Units
With the ongoing heat wave in Houston and no relief in sight, ERCOT is bringing in reinforcements:
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has executed short-term contracts with two generation owners to activate four mothballed units to address emergency situations during the extreme heat and drought, CEO Trip Doggett announced today.
NRG Energy and Garland Power and Light will return two natural gas units each, for a total of approximately 400 megawatts (MW), to be available if needed through October 2011 to reduce the risk of rotating outages across the ERCOT region.
This has been a highly unusual year for ERCOT with record-breaking temperatures starting as early as May plus an increasing demand for electricity as the states economy and population growth fuel greater energy use, Doggett said.
