U.S. Texans asked to conserve energy during record high temperatures

HOUSTON, June 14 (Xinhua) -- The power grid operator in U.S. Texas on Monday asked people to reduce energy use as much of the state is experiencing record high temperatures.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a conservation alert on Monday, asking people and businesses to reduce their electric use as much as possible for the rest of the week to avoid power outages.

ERCOT predicted a peak demand of energy on its system of 73,000 megawatts, far above the June record of 69,123 megawatts set on June 27, 2018. However, about 11,000 megawatts of the grid's 86,862 megawatts of generating capacity was offline Monday, ERCOT said, leaving a margin of reserve capacity of about 3,000 megawatts.

Much of Texas is experiencing record high temperatures as temperatures in cities like Austin and Houston are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 37.8 degrees Celsius).