PrintAll clear. That’s the message from ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, for anyone concerned about the state’s available generation supply this spring and summer.

The state’s electric grid operator released reports his week that forecast the state’s peak electricity requirements and its estimated supply for those seasons. It reported no significant warning signs.

“Taking into account multiple scenarios under a variety of conditions, ERCOT expects to have enough generation available to serve peak demand this spring,” said Pete Warnken, manager of Resource Adequacy.

The forecasts, which ERCOT releases periodically, are important because any disconnect between electric supply and demand can lead to blackouts.

In the spring report (officially, it’s called the final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy for spring 2016) ERCOT projected more than 79,000 megawatts of generation available, but projected peak demand not to exceed 58,000 MW.

In its preliminary summer SARA report ERCOT also projected sufficient resources — even though the organization likewise estimated that peak demand during the season would surpass 70,000 MW for the first time in Texas history.

To put that in perspective, a megawatt is enough electricity to power about 200 homes on a hot summer day.

The new ERCOT reports and others are available at www.ercot.com/gridinfo/resource.

— R.A. Dyer

What is the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power?

R.A. Dyer is a policy analyst for TCAP, a coalition of more than 160 cities and other political subdivisions that purchase electricity in the deregulated market for their own governmental use. Because high energy costs can impact municipal budgets and the ability to fund essential services, TCAP, as part of its mission, actively promotes affordable energy policies. High energy prices also place a burden on local businesses and home consumers.