ERCOT Adds Public Text Alerts With EEA Level 1 Below 2,500 MW

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced on 10 November 2026 that it has enhanced its Texas Advisory and Notification System, giving the public a single source for grid notifications and, for the first time, the option to receive them by text message. Notices will be sent in English and Spanish. Current email subscribers are being migrated to a new portal and can choose email, text, or both.

The system covers weather watches and voluntary conservation notices. Conservation appeals sit alongside the three Energy Emergency Alert levels used when reserves tighten. Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 occurs when operating reserves drop below 2,500 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes. Level 2 is triggered when reserves drop below 2,000 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes, or if frequency falls below 59.91 Hz for 15 minutes. Level 3 begins when reserves drop below 1,500 MW, or if frequency falls below 59.8 Hz for any period, at which point systemwide controlled outages are under way.

By our calculation, the operating-reserve trigger falls by 1,000 MW between Level 1 and Level 3.

ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 27 million Texas customers, representing about 90% of the state's electric load. The grid connects more than 55,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 1,460 generation units. The operator also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for more than 8 million premises in competitive choice areas.

Subscribers can enrol or update preferences at ercot.com/txans. ERCOT said the Weekly Grid Update and the dashboards on ERCOT.com remain available for grid conditions after the 10 November launch.