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CPS Energy says it is ready for whatever winter has to throw at us this season

If ERCOT insists on outages, CPS Energy has several plans they can put into motion to conserve.

SAN ANTONIO — CPS Energy is hoping to clear up any concerns you may have this winter season. Company reps say they have done all they can do and are ready in case another deadly winter storm like February 2021 does a repeat performance this winter.

CPS Energy says they have been working with ERCOT and assured them equipment has been winterized and they're ready to go in case a mammoth storm hits again this winter. 

"What happens after that is there's an inspection process where they come out and test to ensure that that they get eyes on the work that we've done, and that process is ongoing," said CPS Energy President and CEO Rudy Garza.

So even after all of the prep, what if outages are still needed across Texas? 

"In the event, if ERCOT has a supply demand issue they will call for controlled outages," said Richard Medina, the CPS Energy Chief Energy Delivery Services Officer. "And during these control outages, we will have to shut power off for a certain period of time and then turn it back on."

But how much time on and off is the big question. 

"In the event we get into a load shedding situation, a controlled outage situation, customers should see 15 minutes off and then hours on depending upon how much load the ERCOT's asking us to give them," Garza answered. 

"CPS Energy will reduce the demand based on 7% of what ERCOT's asking because that is our our load share," Medina added. 

And for the first time ever CPS Energy is launching a winter demand response program where they can call on commercial and residential customers who signed up to voluntarily cut off power to help reduce the drain on the grid. 

"We have about 65 megawatts signed up and this is a combination of both commercial customers and residential," said Jonathan Tijerina, the CPS Energy VP of Corporate Development. "Those 65 megawatts equate to about 13,000 homes of demand that we will be able to call upon to reduce load on our on our on our grid." 

CPS Energy also said they have 20% more generation in the plan than they think they need for the winter peak, and also a portfolio of other services available including buying power if they need it daily, and a strong winterization program that can temporarily provide supplemental heat to customers.

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