A relatively mild summer and new power plant construction have combined to ease the burden on the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s primary electric grid operator.

Nicholas Sakelaris, of the Dallas Business Journal, reports this week that new natural gas-fired plants have come online or will soon around the cities of Sherman and Temple and in Llano County. At the same time, there’s been only five 100-degree days in North Texas so far this summer.

NickSakelarisDBJ

Nicholas Sakelaris

Those factors combined equal a real cure for ERCOT’s summertime blues.

“Looking at the big picture, the Texas electric grid has had a fairly easy time meeting demand, at least so far,”  Sakelaris reports, citing ERCOT.

ERCOT faces a constant balancing act between the supply of electricity on the grid and demand. If energy reserves evaporate, blackouts can result.

But Sakelaris reports this is the first summer since 2007 that the Dallas-Fort Worth area failed to hit the 100-degree mark before July. Less strain on air conditioning means a reduction in consumption generally. ERCOT shows that demand is down by about 500,000 MWh from the same period in 2013, according to the reporter.

That’s making ERCOT’s balancing act much easier. Summertime electric bills also may be lower than they were in 2013 — even though it appears that average prices are on the rise.

Public awareness about generation reserves has grown ever since big power companies began pushing for expensive subsidies they said they needed to keep pace with demand. But those proposals have been shelved — at least for now — in the face of widespread opposition and revised ERCOT reserve projections.

The Texas Coalition for Affordable Power earlier released a policy primer on the issue, which you can find here.

ABOUT the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power

TCAP is a coalition of more than 165 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.

R.A. "Jake" Dyer

R.A. "Jake" Dyer

Is a policy analyst for TCAP, a coalition of 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.