ERCOT Asks RGV Utilities to Shed Electrical Load

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS –The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a transmission emergency for the Rio Grande Valley. The Brownsville Public Utilities Board (BPUB) along with the other Rio Grande Valley utilities has been instructed to shed electric load.

To ensure the safety of the electric service grid, BPUB has been asked to shed 26 megawatts MW. About 100-150 BPUB customers represent about 1 MW of usage.

This results in rolling blackouts that will last approximately 30 minutes. This will affect many BPUB customers. There is not a problem with BPUB’s equipment; these outages are necessary to retain the integrity of the electric service grid.

BPUB is asking customers to conserve electricity to avoid overloading the Rio Grande Valley power grid. Customers can conserve electricity by turning off unnecessary lights, not washing and drying clothes during this time, and turning up thermostats on air conditioning units.

BPUB is prepared to keep customers informed of the situation as any changes develop.