SAN ANTONIO — As the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, held its final board meeting of 2023, CEO Pablo Vegas gave an operations update as winter begins.

Vegas said they aren’t anticipating emergency conditions this winter. 

“There is increasing risk,” he said. “We see that because of the increased demand. Demand is growing and we need to make sure we can meet that demand with the resources  — all of the resources, supply and demand resources on the grid. But at the same time, we are as ready as we have ever been to deal with the challenges of a winter season.”

Despite being ready, in October ERCOT issued a plea for 3,000 megawatts of new capacity as a precaution. Only three Texas power generators submitted offers, combining for an additional 11 megawatts of energy.

“We decided to cancel that RFP for procurement of capacity and lean on the significant reliability efforts that we have been taking on in the last couple of years,” Vegas said.

Vegas says more demand on the grid increases the risk of an energy emergency alert. Unlike the summer, we won’t have solar to rely on during peak demand hours.

“We don’t have that 15 MW or so of solar resources during that 7-8 a.m. period of time in the morning,” Vegas added.

ERCOT set generation records in 2023. Vegas says they have 50,000 MW in new battery interest and 7,700 MW of new dispatchable gas generation. Also, winterization inspections at Texas plants are ahead of schedule.

“Focus on ensuring that their assets and resources are going to be available and weatherized and ready to perform during the winter,” Vegas said.