Texas Interconnection

[7] As the ISO for the region, ERCOT dispatches power on an electric grid that connects 46,500 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units.

[12] Power demand is highest in summer, primarily due to air conditioning use in homes and businesses.

[14] On Monday, August 12, 2019, a new peak of 74,820 MW was set between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Central Daylight Time (2200 GMT), as high temperatures in Houston hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 °Celsius).

[15] ERCOT had more than 78,000 MW of generating capacity available to meet demand in the summer of 2019, providing an adequate though not generous margin.

[17] On Monday, January 21, 2019, ERCOT set a new wind output record of nearly 19.7 GW at 7:19 pm, Central Standard Time.

[27][28] Interconnections can be tied to each other via high-voltage direct current power transmission lines (DC ties), or with variable-frequency transformers (VFTs), which permit a controlled flow of energy while also functionally isolating the independent AC frequencies of each side.

[citation needed] In October 2009, the Tres Amigas SuperStation was announced to connect the Eastern, Western, and Texas Interconnections via eight 5 GW superconductor links, but the Eastern Interconnection withdrew from the project in 2015, rendering the project moot.

[30] In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a contract award of $360 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help build Pattern Energy’s Southern Spirit Transmission Project, a proposed 320-mile, 525-kV high voltage direct current line to connect the ERCOT grid with grids in the Southeast.

[31][32][33] In February 2011, gas shortages and low temperatures led to 30 GW of capacity being unavailable and caused load shedding.

[34] In February 2021, record low temperatures during the February 13–17, 2021 North American winter storm caused large loss of coal, natural gas, wind, and nuclear power production, and a shortfall of over 10 gigawatts of customer demand, resulting in rolling blackouts across Texas affecting more than 4 million people.