In a press release ERCOT announced they have issued a Request for Proposal to stakeholders to increase operating reserves, adding up to an additional 3,000 MW for the winter 2023-2024 peak load season. ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said “ERCOT is not projecting energy emergency conditions this winter season, but we want to be prepared and ensure all available tools are readily available if needed.”
ERCOT notes the Monthly Outlook for Resource Adequacy report determined that if conditions in the winter 2023-2024 season during the peak demand hour were comparable to peak demand conditions last winter, which occurred during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, the probability level of entering into emergency conditions would be higher than ERCOT’s acceptable elevated-risk threshold.
The Request for Proposal seeks capacity from both dispatchable generation and demand response solutions to cover the period of December 1, 2023, through February 29, 2024. More information can be found in here.