Emergency Order Issued to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT), to Operate Power Generating Facilities Under Limited Circumstances in Texas as a Result of Extreme Weather

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is issuing this Notice to document emergency actions that it has taken pursuant to the Federal Power Act. DOE issued an emergency order to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) to operate certain power generating facilities under limited circumstances as described further in this section. ERCOT is the independent system operator for over 26 million people in Texas (ERCOT Region). The State of Texas experienced a sustained heat wave that resulted in abnormally high electric demand. Because the additional generation required to serve the ERCOT Region was anticipated to result in a conflict with environmental standards and requirements, DOE authorized only the necessary additional generation for ERCOT to sufficiently supply the amount of energy needed to prevent electrical disruption. However, because no facilities operated above permitted levels during the emergency as authorized by the DOE order, no environmental impacts resulted from DOE issuing the order. Consequently, DOE has decided not to prepare a special environmental analysis.