HOUSTON – Just a few hours after the Houston area climbed above freezing temperatures, ERCOT posted a notice about the next round of cold weather expected to hit southeast Houston.
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Wednesday at noon, ERCOT issued an OCN, which is known as an Operating Condition Notice.
“OCN issued for the predicted extreme cold weather event for the ERCOT Region Friday, January 19, 2024 through Sunday, January 21, 2024.”
This messaging is part of ERCOT’s standard operating procedures put in place since the deadly winter of 2021.
The criteria to issue a notice are any of the following:
- ERCOT projects the need for more resources in the near future.
- A major unplanned transmission outage has occurred.
- Severe weather is 5 days away (Hurricane / Tropical Storm/Extreme Cold/Extreme Heat).
Conditions are ‘green’ and ERCOT is not forecasting any problems with supply and demand.
“The grid is operating under normal conditions. The notice was issued to make sure our market participants are prepared for the cold weather conditions we are expecting. ERCOT will continue to monitor conditions and provide any updates as needed. Grid conditions are expected to be normal.” - ERCOT Communications
The agency issues an OCN as “the first of four levels of communication issued in anticipation of a possible Emergency Condition,” or “an operating condition in which the safety or reliability of the ERCOT System is compromised or threatened.”