We know that every time you reach for the switch, you expect the lights to come on. At Medina Electric Cooperative, we want the same thing for you. However, today we are facing an unprecedented challenge with outages from The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Throughout this event, please track outage numbers and status on our outage map.
2/16/21 4 p.m. Outage Status Update
ERCOT continues to mandate outages from utilities across the state. A third of our system continues to be without power and ERCOT forced outages are responsible for about 95% of the members without power.
Crews continue work to get the last few weather related outages back on.
For forced outages, you can expect to be without power for up to 8 hours, then power will come back on for 1-2 hours and then will go off again. Earlier today we were hopeful that the grid would have enough capacity to allow us to shorten the forced outages for members, but unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be the case.
We will continue to monitor the ERCOT grid conditions. They are constantly changing and will continue to do so overnight as temperatures drop. As generation throughout the state comes back online and ERCOT releases more load to utilities, things will get better. We can’t say at this time when that will happen. We still expect these forced outages to last at least through Wednesday afternoon, based on the information we currently have.
Outages can be reported by calling 1-866-632-3532 or using the SmartHub app or at MedinaEC.org. If you report an outage and learn you are part of a forced outage, please wait until you have been without power for 8 hours to re-report. We know that this is a frustrating situation but waiting to call back will free up phone lines for other members. The forced outages are completely outside of our control.
For outages please :
1) To get official information, continue to check our website. To see the latest outage numbers and track progress, visit our outage map.
2) Report your outages on SmartHub (on our website or through the app) if you can. This is your best option.
3) To speak to a customer service agent, call 1-866-632-3532 or use the chat function on our website, which is available from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Expect delays if you use the phone system; it is overwhelmed with calls since we have more than 10,000 members off at any given time.
During Forced Outages
We need your help. If you are without power, please turn off any appliances and heating systems that were on when your outage began. When we flip the switch to bring you back online, we need the load to be as low as possible. If heaters are in the on position when the power comes back up, we run the risk of overload which can lead to additional outage times.
2/16/21 NOON Outage Status Update
Conditions are improving. More people are coming back online. Details below.
Crews are making progress and have been able to restore power to the bulk of members that have been without power for more than 24 hours. They continue working to get those members back on. A third of our system continues to be without power at this time, either from ERCOT forced outages or weather.
There is a small bit of good news from ERCOT*. At this time, they are requiring utilities to drop less load than they were this morning. We are expecting forced outages to be up to 6 hours long; then members will have power for 1-2 hours before going back off again. If ERCOT continues to require us to drop less load, we hope to see those outage times decrease and the amount of time we can leave members on increase. Members may not see this is a big change but it is movement in a positive direction. We will continue to monitor the ERCOT grid conditions and include updates since the situation could change at any moment. We still expect these forced outages to last at least through Wednesday afternoon, based on the information we currently have.
*Note: As of 1:15pm, it appears that ERCOT is not going to give us the additional load we were hopeful for. Forced outages could stretch up to 8 or 9 hours for some of our members.*
Outages can be reported by calling 1-866-632-3532 or using the SmartHub app or at MedinaEC.org.
For outages please :
1) To get official information, continue to check our website. To see the latest outage numbers and track progress, visit our outage map.
2) Report your outages on SmartHub (on our website or through the app) if you can. This is your best option.
3) To speak to a customer service agent, call 1-866-632-3532 or use the chat function on our website, which is available until 5 p.m. Expect delays if you use the phone system; it is overwhelmed with calls since we have more than 10,000 members off at any given time.
We need your help. If you are without power and you are able to see this message, please turn off any appliances and heating systems that were on when your outage began. When we flip the switch to bring you back online, we need the load to be as low as possible. If heaters are in the on position when the power comes back up, we run the risk of overload which can lead to additional outage times.
2/16/21 8:45 a.m. Outage Status Update
We know frustrations are running high for all our members, and we share in that frustration. It is our job to keep power flowing to our members; it is what you expect, and it is what we want to deliver. This historic event and the challenges within ERCOT have made that impossible at this time, so please continue to be as patient and understanding with our staff as you can.
We do expect to see the same conditions as we did Monday. The ERCOT model continues to show they will not have enough electricity to meet the state’s needs. This will mean continued forced outages for Medina EC members and other Texans across ERCOT’s region today.
Currently, we are expecting ERCOT forced outages to be 4-6 hours in our area. They are rotating through the system but we recognize that some areas are being impacted more than others. There are also certain areas where we are not allowed to turn off power because of hospitals, natural gas plants, and similar emergency resources.
WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT
As expected, temperatures dropped and ERCOT called for additional load shed forcing utilities to put even more of our members in forced outages. Combined with weather related outages, more than a third of our members are without power. Due to the overwhelming numbers, many members were unable to report outages overnight. We recognize the frustration that has caused for members and it has made restoring weather-related outages much more difficult.
WHAT TO EXPECT TODAY
Crews will be assessing the system and reporting to areas that are still without power due to weather conditions. Areas that have been without power for more than 24 hours are our priority.
Engineers will continue to monitor grid conditions, and our staff will continue managing outages. We will still be unable to reply to Facebook messages or comments while we address the outage issues. We understand the need to share frustration on Facebook, but we are not able to track those or follow up with members as we work to manage the issues our entire system is facing.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Report your outages on SmartHub (on our website or through the app) if you can. This is your fastest option and will help our team better manage outages. We recognize the frustration from this going down last night, but it is working at this time.
- To speak to a customer service agent, call 1-866-632-3532 or use the chat function on our website, which is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- To see the latest outage numbers and track progress, visit our outage map.
- If you are unable to report your outage and choose to send a message through Facebook, please include your account name, account number and address. Be aware that staff may not see that for several hours and it will always be more efficient to report it through our other avenues.
Many members have questioned why this is happening now, and why it doesn’t occur in the summer. The main issue for ERCOT during this cold weather has been generation outages, meaning they have not been able to produce the electricity that would normally be available. Many of these issues have stemmed from freezing.
9 p.m. Outage Status Update
Crews are encountering ice on roads and it is slowing their ability to reach member’s locations. We continue to expect conditions to get worse overnight. Predictions for capacity in the ERCOT market continue to look very dire for the overnight hours, worse than we saw in the early morning hours of Monday. Between 6-7 p.m., they have already ordered additional forced outages, on top of the outages crews are responding to at this time. We know you are frustrated with getting power and losing it, and we know many members have been without power since 1 a.m. on Monday. If ERCOT Is already asking for additional forced outages, we expect further forced outages overnight.
Please continue to report your outages on SmartHub (through the app or the website) or call 1-866-632-3532.
Phonelines are overloaded and sometimes calls are being dropped as a result. We apologize for how frustrating this is and encourage members to use SmartHub on our website or the app if possible.
Staff continues to work to manage outage reports and will not be able to monitor the website chat or Facebook. We ask for your patience and as much as possible, we ask for your understanding. We share your frustrations. The ERCOT outages and weather have created conditions and circumstances that are beyond our control.
At this time, a third of our membership is without power and it is possible those numbers will grow as temperatures continue to drop and ERCOT calls for more forced outages.
Engineering crews are monitoring our system outages and ERCOT load shed requirements. Our crews will continue to respond to outage locations.
The next official update will be posted on our website at 9 a.m. Tuesday, 2/16.
Our staff will not stop responding to outages until every member has power restored and ERCOT has full capacity to support the load. At this time, we predict this situation continuing through at least Wednesday.
6 PM - Outage Status Update
We expect conditions to get worse overnight. We know this is not what you want to hear, but it is the reality of weather conditions. We are seeing snow melt in many areas, which will likely create dangerous road conditions for crews as they continue to respond to outages. Predictions for capacity in the ERCOT market continue to look very dire for the overnight hours, which could lead to the need for additional outages.
During evening hours, please report your outages on SmartHub (through the app or the website) or call 1-866-632-3532. Staff continues to work to manage outage reports and will not be able to monitor the website chat or Facebook. We are aware that some members are having issues and delays getting through. Please be patient; at most points during this event, nearly a third of our membership has been without power. Phonelines are overloaded and sometimes calls are being dropped as a result. We apologize for how frustrating this is and encourage members to use SmartHub on our website or the app if possible.
Engineering crews will be here 24/7 to try to manage forced outages from ERCOT, and our crews will continue to respond to outage locations.
Official updates will be posted to https://www.medinaec.org/ at 9pm this evening and 5am Tuesday, 2/16. If there are substantial developments during the night, we will make every attempt to post that information.
Know that our staff will not stop responding to these outages until every member has power restored and ERCOT has full capacity to support the load. At this time, we predict this situation continuing through at least Wednesday.
3:30 PM - Outage Status Update
Some members have been without power for more than twelve hours.
We are aware of this and apologize that we have not been able to get you back online yet. Our crews are working on it. Please be sure your outage is reported.
We are doing everything within our technical power to get power and heat back to you. Because the Medina EC power grid covers 17 counties, our issues are complicated.
Some members have unfortunately been in an unfair, extended outage. We are doing everything within our technical power to fairly limit on-time and off-time. However, at this time we are unable to guarantee that we can achieve equal on and off time for our members because of the way the Medina power grid is built and because of constantly changing ERCOT grid conditions.
What does this mean for you? Unfortunately, conditions will continue to get worse as the sun sets and temperatures drop. We are concerned about icy conditions that will make it even more difficult for our crews to respond to locations.
Unfortunately, outages may become more extensive. In addition, in watching the ERCOT model predictions for the next 12 hours, it does appear overnight Monday and early Tuesday morning we could see even more extensive forced outages than we saw in the early morning hours of Monday.
What are we doing? All our teams are doing the very best they can to restore power to all members and to fairly balance on-time and off-time. We recognize that this was confusing and sudden for many members.
Please help us help you.
Here are your instructions regarding outages:
1) To get official information, visit this post on our website. To see the latest outage numbers and track progress, visit our outage map.
2) Report your outages on SmartHub (on our website or through the app) if you can. This is your best option.
3) To speak to a customer service agent, call 1-866-632-3532 or use the chat function on our website, which is available to 5 p.m.
950AM UPDATE
The first problem we face is that ERCOT describes the outages as “rotating.” However, at the local co-op level, for many of you outages did not initially rotate as expected. Some of our members have been without power since 2 a.m. We apologize for this cruel hardship during this unprecedented storm. The outages are beyond our control.
In an ideal situation, small groups of members would go dark for 30 minutes at a time, then come back online. However, we are not in an ideal situation and we are facing some critical challenges at this hour, and we will likely continue to face those through Wednesday morning.
As a co-op, we are working internally to bring power up to as many of you as possible as fast as we can. The truth is, it isn’t as easy as just pushing a button or turning a switch in our control room.
Teams are in the control room now working on ways to balance the load so that cut-offs and re-energizing are done in a balanced method.
Going forward, this is what you should expect:
1) All official information regarding your service will be posted on our website. Visit our website often. This will be more reliable than trying to get information on Facebook.
2) While you can monitor load on the ERCOT app and website, it will likely frustrate you because it is not a clear picture of what is happening in the 17 counties Medina serves.
3) Our customer service teams are taking calls and monitoring the chat. However, the teams are overwhelmed by the load of calls. Please leave your number and we will call you as soon as possible.
We understand your frustration. Please bear with us. We will have more updates as soon as we can.
