NewsRelease
January 09 2012
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ERCOT electricity usage up 5 percent in 2011

Wind generation 8.5 percent of total energy

Jan. 9, 2012, AUSTIN – The ERCOT region’s electricity use increased 5 percent in 2011, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, grid operator and manager of the electric market for most of Texas, reported today in the 2011 demand and energy report. 

Net energy for load was 335,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) for the year, compared to 319,097 GWh in 2010 and 308,278 GWh in 2009.  April had the highest energy increase compared to the previous year with 14.4 percent, followed by July which increased 12.2 percent compared to last year.  

The report also includes a breakdown of total energy consumed by fuel type.   Natural gas increased 2.2 percent over last year, as a percentage of the total energy.  Wind increased almost 1 percent over 2011. 


ERCOT ENERGY BY FUEL TYPE

Fuel Type

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Percent

Percent

Percent

Percent

Percent

Natural Gas

40.4

38.2

42.1

43.0

45.5

Coal

39.0

39.5

36.6

37.1

37.4

Nuclear

11.9

13.1

13.6

13.2

13.4

Wind

8.5

7.8

6.2

4.9

2.9

Water

0.2

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.4

Other

0.2

1.1

1.2

1.6

0.4

 ONLINE

2011 Demand and Energy Report
2010 Demand and Energy Report
2009 Demand and Energy Report
Energy by Fuel Type, 2002-2010

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 23 million Texas customers -- representing 85 percent of the state's electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects 40,500 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units. ERCOT also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for 6.7 million premises 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, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipal-owned electric utilities.

Contact
Robbie Searcy 512-225-7213
rsearcy@ercot.com