ERCOT

District 6's Melissa Cabello Havrda filed a Council Consideration Request (CCR) this week that would modify the city's 14 percent draw from CPS Energy amid strains in the state's power grid this summer.

The Texas power grid operator reduced energy flowing along a key transmission line on Wednesday, exacerbating a power grid emergency.

ERCOT went into emergency operations Wednesday night for the first time since 2021. It's still unclear what caused the power grid to get so close to rolling blackouts so quickly.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has issued several calls for voluntary conservation this summer, and the emergency alert on Wednesday evening was the most serious.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas paid the bitcoin miner Riot $31.7 million in energy credits in August to not mine bitcoin in order to save energy for the state's power grid.

The Democrat is drafting legislation that would connect the Texas grid to the rest of the country, something state leaders have long refused to do.

To reduce strain on the grid, ERCOT will pay big energy users like manufacturers and bitcoin miners to reduce the power they use. That frees up more electrons for others and keeps supply and demand balanced.

ERCOT said it expected low wind-power generation and high demand to persist through the weekend because of the extreme heat.

The Texas power grid survived another close call Thursday evening. While record energy demand came dangerously close to the available supply, a need for rolling blackouts did not arise — as San Antonio officials had warned. CPS Energy, the municipally owned utility, thanked San Antonio residents on social media for "doing their part to conserve today."

ERCOT asked energy customers to reduce their electricity use from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, the third conservation request this year and the second in three days as punishing summer heat continues.