At 6:30 p.m. Monday evening, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) instructed AEP Texas and other electric utilities to increase the number of service interruptions in addition to the existing interruptions that began early Monday morning.  

The total number of outages for AEP Texas currently stands at 441,000, following this evening’s directive from ERCOT to shed additional load.  The number of outages increased from the 367,000 AEP Texas customers who were without power this afternoon.  Earlier in the day, ERCOT projected that utilities would be given the go-ahead on Tuesday to begin full restoration of service. We will continue to keep you informed of new developments.  

AEP Texas is prepared to begin restoration of service to customers as soon as it receives the order from ERCOT.   Circuit loading due to the length of time customers have been without power could result in some customer groups not having their service restoration delayed further.

“This latest request has significantly increased the number of customers without power,” Jeff Stracener, AEP Texas vice president of Distribution Region Operations.  “Once we get the go-ahead from ERCOT, we’ll do everything we can to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to respond to this statewide issue, which has left thousands without power throughout the entire state.”  

As ERCOT lifts the controlled outage directive, AEP Texas and other utilities will restore service to customers and complete any needed repairs.  In the meantime, customers can help ensure a smooth restoration of power by taking the following steps:

• If you lose power, turn off your heating, and large appliances to enable smoother service restoration. 
• Once power is restored, you should switch the devices back on gradually over the following 30-to-45 minutes. Taking this step will help prevent a sudden surge in demand after power is restored, which could cause a second outage.

Energy conservation measures are urgently needed now through Tuesday.  Steps to help reduce electricity use include:

• Turn the thermostat down 2-to-3 degrees • Set programmable thermostats to lower temperatures when no one is home.
• Limit use of large appliances (i.e., dishwasher, washer, dryer, etc.) • If you cook indoors from 2-to-8 p.m., use a microwave or slow cooker.
• Close blinds and drapes during late afternoon. 

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