Generating capacity adequate next year

subscribe

Texas should have an adequate reserve of electricity generation capacity in 2008 and an improved outlook through 2013 because of the addition of new coal-fired and gas-fired plants, the operator of the state's biggest electricity grid said.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the grid that serves about 80 percent of the state, issued the new estimates in an update to its May forecast. That report had anticipated the state's reserve - the surplus of generating capacity over expected consumption - to barely meet the desired 12.5 percent margin in 2008 and to slip well below it in the subsequent years.

ERCOT said the state should have 72,416 megawatts of generating capacity in 2008, compared with 64,010 megawatts in demand, for a reserve of 13.1 percent. That's expected to dip to 12.1 percent in 2009 as demand growth is expected to outstrip the addition of nearly 1,400 megawatts of new capacity that year.

The gains for 2009 and 2010 are principally from three new coal-fired units under construction by Luminant, formerly TXU, which were awaiting air permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in May and were not counted by ERCOT.

Those plan s were granted their permits and will add 2,291 megawatts of capacity in 2009 and 2010, ERCOT said. ERCOT also said 893 megawatts of new capacity are planned in 2008 but don't qualify to be counted in its current outlook. Additionally, more than 4,400 megawatts of generating capacity from mothballed plants could be used.

Related News

use-ai-for-energy-savings

Medicine Hat Grant Winners to Upgrade Grid and Use AI for Energy Savings

MIAMI - The city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, is taking bold steps toward enhancing its energy infrastructure and reducing electricity consumption with the help of innovative technology. Recently, several grant winners have been selected to improve the city's electricity grid distribution and leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize energy use. These projects promise to not only streamline energy delivery but also contribute to more sustainable practices by reducing energy waste.

Advancing the Electricity Grid

Medicine Hat’s electricity grid is undergoing a significant transformation, thanks to a new set of initiatives funded by government grants. The city has long been known…

READ MORE

Atlantic grids, forestry, coastlines need rethink in era of intense storms: experts

READ MORE

Are Net-Zero Energy Buildings Really Coming Soon to Mass?

READ MORE

pickering NGS

Ontario Supports Plan to Safely Continue Operating the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station

READ MORE

tehran power plant

Iran turning thermal power plants to combined cycle to save energy

READ MORE