PRESS RELEASE
September 01, 2000
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Texas Breaks Peak Load Record for Third Time This Year

Power Grid Withstands 109-degree Temperatures and Record Usage

WHO:

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is an industry coalition that administers the state's power grid and serves approximately 85 percent of the state's electric load. ERCOT is one of ten regional reliability councils in North America and oversees the operation of some 60,000 megawatts of generation and 36,000 miles of transmission lines in the State of Texas. The primary regulatory authority for ERCOT is the Public Utility Commission of Texas. ERCOT's members include retail consumers, investor and municipally owned electric utilities, rural electric co-ops, river authorities, independent power producers, and power marketers.

WHAT:

Preliminary numbers indicate that electricity usage reached an all-time peak high for the third time in 44 days, with Texans using 57,731 megawatts (MW) of power.

WHEN:

Thursday, August 31, 2000.
The new usage record (57,731) broke the previous record that had been set on Wednesday, August 30, 2000 of 55,994. The record was broken for the first time in 2000 on July 19, when Texans used 55,796 MW of power. Peak load in August of 1999 was 54,849, while peak load in August of 1998 was 53,689. The Planned Peak Load for Friday, September 1, 2000 is 57,161.

WHY:

Temperatures in College Station reached 109-degrees Thursday, 108-degrees in Dallas, and 107-degrees in Austin (three cities within the ERCOT coverage area). Texas A&M University in College Station (approximately 43,000 students) and the University of Texas at Austin (approximately 48,000 students) began classes on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. The abnormally hot temperatures and increased electricity usage from the two largest universities in Texas, combined to create the record-breaking peak load.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 21 million Texas customers – representing 85 percent of the state’s electric load and 75 percent of the Texas land area. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects 38,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units. ERCOT also manages financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers customer switching for 6 million Texans in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature. ERCOT's members include consumers, cooperatives, independent generators, independent power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipal-owned electric utilities.

Contact
Dottie Roark 512-225-7024