7 p.m., Oct. 8, 2014 – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) at 6:29 p.m. instructed transmission and distribution service providers to restore electric service following rotating outages in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. While most affected consumers will be returned to service immediately, some providers indicate it could take about an hour to restore service to all affected consumers.

Earlier this evening, unplanned power plant outages resulted in electric transmission issues in the Valley, which required action by the grid operator to protect the system in that area.

At 4:47 p.m., ERCOT instructed the transmission and distribution providers to reduce system demand by 200 MW to protect the Valley region from the risk of an uncontrolled blackout situation. Additional power also was imported from the power grid in Mexico to help address transmission system issues in the area, and ERCOT is working with the affected generation owners to return their units to service.

“We appreciate the patience and help from Valley residents during this situation,” said Ken McIntyre, ERCOT vice president, Grid Planning and Operations. “We have been working with transmission providers on projects to improve future electric reliability in the Valley region.”