Cause of weekend power outage under investigation

Some 1,003 Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association customers were some of the estimated 85,000 East Texas residents who were out of power Sunday, Aug. 18, thanks to rolling brown/black outs.

CCECA customers received this message on Sunday, “CCECA has been required by our supplier to shed load in Southern Cherokee County due to circumstances beyond their control. Power will be restored as soon as we are allowed to do so.”

In a statement provided to the Cherokeean Herald on Monday, CCECA spokesperson Merry Caroline Curry said, “CCECA’s members in southern Cherokee County experienced voltage sags just prior to our supplier, AEP (American Electric Provider), requiring our load to be shed in order to maintain the integrity of the electric supply grid. Our system was restored to “normal” late yesterday evening. It is an everyday effort to keep power flowing to our homes.

“When circumstances happen, as they did (Sunday), rest assured there are linemen, engineers, dispatchers, call center reps, and so many more that go to work quickly to get the power back to our lives. We are thankful for those people today!”

Most local customers’ power was restored before the end of Sunday. Power to all local customers had been restored by Monday.

Officials reported via the Longview News-Journal on Monday the cause of the outage is still being investigated.

As summer temperatures continue to rise, however, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has noticed an increased demand in electricity across Texas.

“This is an issue of supply and demand. While Oncor’s transmission and distribution infrastructure is prepared to handle the increased load, there may not be enough current supply of generation to meet the current demand for electricity,” ONCOR Director of Communications Connie Piloto told the Longview newspaper. “We are echoing ERCOT’s call for conservation, asking all of our customers to help conserve electricity.”

ERCOT is asking all Texans to try to limit and reduce electric power use during peak demand hours of 3-7 p.m.

Some conservation steps residents can take include:

- Set thermostat two to three degrees higher between the hours of 3-7 p.m. and higher when no one is home. If home, use fans to feel cooler.

- Set pool pumps to run early mornings or overnight; shut off from 4- 6 p.m.

- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.

- Avoid using large appliances, like dryers and ovens, during peak demand hours.

- Keep blinds and curtains closed through daylight hours to help keep inside temperatures stable.

For more energy-saving tips, visit thewire.oncor.com.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the flow of electricity for about 90 percent of the state’s customers, can generate a maximum capacity of about 78,000 megawatts of electricity for peak demand, according to the ERCOT website.

An all-time peak demand record was set between 4 and 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, when electricity demand reached 74,531 megawatts, according to an ERCOT social media post. Prior to Monday, the record was 73,473 megawatts set on July 19, 2018, according to the ERCOT website.

“The sustained high temperatures across the ERCOT region have resulted in record-setting electric demand. We set new weekend peaks on Saturday and Sunday,” ERCOT spokeswoman Leslie Sopko said.

Laura Gutschke contributed to this article.