Power demand in state outpaces forecasts

The demand for power during Texas summers is growing more rapidly than energy providers initially forecast, according to the state’s power grid manager.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees 90 percent of the state’s power system, said its latest forecast shows that electricity consumption will grow faster over the next few years than it has estimated in 2015. The latest forecast was adjusted to reflect anticipated improvements in the Texas economy and housing market.

As the prospect of jobs attracts more people to the state, and they buy homes, appliances and other electronics to furnish them, that increases demand for electricity, said Robbie Searcy, a spokeswoman for ERCOT.

That increase will tax ERCOT’s power reserves, but ERCOT still expects to have more than enough to supply the state’s 24 million customers.

“Based on the information we have today, we continue to see sufficient planning reserve margins through most of the 10-year planning horizon,” said Warren Lasher, senior director of system planning.

ERCOT projected that peak power demand would rise to more than 71,000 megawatts during the summer of 2017, up from about 70,500 megawatts in 2016. That’s nearly 10,000 megawatts more than summer consumption a decade ago, according to ERCOT. One megawatt is enough to power 200 homes during peak demand.

Power demand is expected to reach more than 77,700 megawatts by 2021, according to ERCOT’s forecast. The state has the capacity to generate electricity about 10,000 megawatts more than peak demand, according to the forecast.