entergy texas winter storm update – 2/15/21 @11:30 a.m.

02/15/2021

key messages

entergy texas’ western region is experiencing a record all-time load.
high electrical power demand has caused a power shortage and issues caused by the freeze are impacting generation units and transmission lines.
we have begun targeted customer outages to prevent the possibility of more extensive and wider spread outages.
we implemented outages on all available circuits, with the exception of circuits feeding critical customers, which has impacted our ability to rotate outages. we have been able to find an opportunity to begin rotating some customers at this time.
we still remain under a directive from miso to implement load reduction, but believe we will be able to start rotating these reductions so some customers who have been off will be able to come back online.
these outages may last several hours and it is not necessary to report your outage during this time. if you have a life-threatening emergency please call 1-8009outage, that's 1-800-968-8243.
as we work to bring generation back into full operation, the time needed for a customer’s periodic outage should lessen, but currently the amount of load shed required is high enough that we are unable to do so.
because of the extreme cold temperatures, resuming to full operation is a slower than usual process.
we are working to minimize outage times as much as possible. we apologize for the inconvenience this outage has caused and appreciate your understanding.

cold weather restoration

we use a methodical and calculated process in bringing customers back online after an outage in very cold weather, regardless of whether the initial cause of the outage was specifically weather-related.
rather than simply energizing an entire power line all at once, we must bring customers back online one section at a time to avoid damage to our system and make the situation worse.
during cold temperature extremes, customers tend to use a lot of electricity to keep heating or other devices running. electric heaters often will run continuously, creating a constant power demand.
when power is disrupted during winter, many customers leave their heating systems and appliances turned on, creating too much energy demand all at once when we try to restore power.
restoring all customers on the same power line has the potential to create large, instantaneous power demands. the instant demand could be higher than the built-in protective devices on a line can handle.
we have devices that protect our system during times of normal, day-to-day operations and power demand. during weather extremes, we must change our processes to protect our system and restore power in a way that best ensures safety and reliability for our customers.
during extreme cold weather conditions, these specific restoration challenges are experienced not just by entergy, but throughout the industry and the country.
customers without power can help in the restoration process by turning off major appliances but leaving on a lamp or other light to indicate when power is restored. then, gradually turn other appliances to spread out the increase in power usage over a longer time.