What is ERCOT?
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas manages the flow of electric power to more than 27 million Texas consumers, including those served by Central Texas Electric Cooperative. ERCOT is responsible for making sure the supply of electricity is enough to meet consumer demand, or load, for the majority of the state.
When is load-shedding necessary?
When the electric supply provided by all available power generation is not enough to meet consumer demand for power, ERCOT begins emergency operations.During an ERCOT energy emergency, when there is not enough generation to meet consumer demand for power and all other operational tools have been exhausted, power demand must be lowered to avoid uncontrolled blackouts.
During a load-shed event:
- Members must be prepared for a possible power outage without warning. As much as possible, all efforts will be made to provide advance notification of ERCOT-mandated load shedding, but there can be circumstances where such a notification isn’t possible.
- Members designated as critical load are not guaranteed an uninterrupted supply of electricity. It is the member’s responsibility to arrange for alternative sources of electric power in the event of any outage, including ERCOT load-shedding events.
- Members who depend on electric-powered medical equipment or those designated as critical care or chronic condition with CTEC are not guaranteed an uninterrupted, regular or continuous power supply. It is the member’s responsibility to arrange for alternative sources of electric power in the event of any outage, including ERCOT load-shedding events.
- Load-shedding is a mandatory emergency order from ERCOT based on the available generation and consumer demand. During load-shedding events, CTEC’s ERCOT transmission operator, the Lower Colorado River Authority, is obligated to immediately implement load-shedding procedures. CTEC likely will not have sufficient information to notify members if or when they may lose power or how long the load shedding event may last. In an extreme emergency, ERCOT may require electric utilities to shed large amounts of load over long periods of time. These outages are critical for ensuring the integrity of the state’s electric grid and preventing an uncontrolled systemwide
blackout, which could last significantly longer than a load-shedding event. - CTEC, like all electric utilities in ERCOT’s service area, is required to comply with all ERCOT directions for shedding load until ERCOT ends the energy emergency.
To find tips on reducing energy use, here or the Public Utility Commission of Texas here.
Register as Critical Load
You can apply and find out more information on our Critical Load Registry for commercial accounts here.
You can apply and find out more information on our Medical Necessity Registry for residential accounts here.