Lone Star Heat Wave Stresses ERCOT to the Max

July 14, 2022--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Here in Texas, if the ice and snow doesn't get us, the heat just may. Temperatures in the Lone Star State topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the 12th straight day in some areas on Wednesday. This, of course, brought about pleas from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's main grid operator, to once again curtail power usage during the peak hours of demand. The bad news is it doesn't look like Texas is out of the woods yet.

ERCOT issued a power conservation appeal for Wednesday between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., asking Texans and businesses to voluntarily conserve energy during this period. Bitcoin mining operations curtailed 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power on Wednesday by voluntarily ceasing operations for the day. Meanwhile, at its height, electricity was trading at well over $5,000 per MW hour.