The frigid weather in Texas and Oklahoma and the rest of the Midwest resulted in a drop in U.S.natural gas output to an 11-month low.
Gas demand for heating and power generation was about to hit record highs and in Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) forecast electric demand on Tuesday would be more than last summer’s all-time high. ERCOT warned power supplies might fall short this week.
No such requests were asked of OGE, PSO and other utility customers in Oklahoma. However, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond had warned last Friday that he intended to monitor natural gas prices in an effort to stop any possible market manipulation such as occurred during the 2021 Winter Storm Uri when gas prices hit the highest level in the entire nation.
ERCOT on Sunday issued an appeal to the public calling for energy conservation from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. CT (1200-1600 GMT) on Monday reported Reuters. The grid operator asked state agencies in Texas to start programs to reduce energy consumption.
Click here for Reuters
