ERCOT upgrades TXANS power grid alerts, adds first-ever text message option

ERCOT upgrades TXANS power grid alerts, adds first-ever text message option by Jessica Warner Tue, November 10, 2026 at 3:39 PM 5 VIEW ALL PHOTOS Texans will now have a single place to get grid condition alerts from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, including the option to receive notifications by text message for the first time. (SBG San Antonio) Comment on this story 0 Comment Share story Share topics: ERCOT TXANS Text-messaging Grid alerts Texas Advisory and Notification System Energy emergency Operating reserves Conservation SAN ANTONIO - Texans will now have a single place to get grid condition alerts from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, including the option to receive notifications by text message for the first time. ERCOT announced it has enhanced its Texas Advisory and Notification System, known as TXANS, to provide what it called a more streamlined way to communicate grid notifications to the public. “We have enhanced TXANS as a more efficient, streamlined way to communicate with the public,” said ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas. “Communicating effectively with Texans remains a priority. These improvements ensure the public is receiving current and accurate information on grid conditions.” ERCOT uses TXANS to communicate about grid conditions, including forecasted weather events, periods of higher electricity demand, and emergency actions ERCOT may take to maintain systemwide grid reliability. The system includes several types of notifications: Weather Watch: An advance notification that may be issued when there is forecasted significant weather, high demand and a potential for lower reserves. ERCOT said grid conditions are normal during a Weather Watch. Voluntary Conservation Notice: Issued when higher demand is forecasted with lower energy reserves. ERCOT requests the public voluntarily conserve electricity during a specific period, if safe to do so, and asks government agencies, including city and county offices, to implement programs to reduce electricity use at their facilities. Those with critical medical needs should check with their local electric utility. Conservation Appeal: Issued when higher demand is forecasted with a potential to enter emergency operations. ERCOT requests the public conserve electricity during a specific period, if safe to do so, and also asks government agencies to reduce electricity use at their facilities. Those with critical medical needs should check with their local electric utility. Energy Emergency Alert Level 1: Occurs when operating reserves drop below 2,500 megawatts and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes. ERCOT said it has not directed systemwide controlled outages at this level, but requests the public conserve electricity, if safe to do so. Those with critical medical needs should check with their local electric utility. Energy Emergency Alert Level 2: Occurs when operating reserves drop below 2,000 megawatts and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes, or when frequency drops below 59.91 hertz for 15 minutes. ERCOT said it has not directed systemwide controlled outages at this level. Conservation is critical, and ERCOT requests the public reduce electricity use as much as possible. Those with critical medical needs should check with their local electric utility. Energy Emergency Alert Level 3: Occurs when operating reserves drop below 1,500 megawatts, or when the grid’s frequency level drops below 59.8 hertz for any period of time. ERCOT said systemwide controlled outages are underway at this level and impact every customer class. ERCOT directs utilities across the ERCOT region to quickly reduce demand through systemwide controlled outages at the local level. ERCOT requests the public conserve electricity during times when they have power. Those with critical medical needs should check with their local electric utility. ERCOT said TXANS subscribers can now opt in to receive text message notifications in addition to email. People can enroll by visiting ercot.com/txans and selecting a preferred notification method. Current subscribers can update contact information and notification preferences by logging in to the TXANS portal using a registered email address. ERCOT said the portal is powered by Regroup, a cloud-based notification platform, and that TXANS emails and text messages will be sent in English and Spanish. ERCOT said other ways to stay up to date on grid conditions include the Weekly Grid Update, ERCOT.com dashboards and ERCOT’s social media channels. More information is available at ercot.com/txans. 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