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Many Port Arthur and Mid-County residents woke up Tuesday morning to no electricity.

According to Entegy’s outage update at 6 a.m. Tuesday, large sections of businesses and households were without power in Nederland, Groves and Port Acres, along with sections of Port Neches and Port Arthur.

Nederland officials said Tuesday morning they have spoken with Entergy, explaining Tuesday morning’s power outage is part of the rolling power outages that Entergy referenced Monday.

“We were not notified of this outage and are experiencing issues with it as well,” a City of Nederland statement read, adding city leaders would share news of a plan to restore power in the area once Nederland receives notice.

“We apologize for the inconvenience these outages may cause, but we have an unusual situation right now driven by extreme weather conditions. We are working to respond and restore power as soon as it is safely possible,” said Stuart Barrett, vice president of customer service.

Due to bitterly cold temperatures and the winter storm, the demand for electricity has reached an all-time high.

As of Monday evening, Entergy Texas customers were asked to voluntarily reduce electricity usage, especially between 5 and 9 p.m. This unusual request is due to the demand for electricity potentially exceeding the available generation due to the extreme cold and weather conditions currently impacting our service territory.

Current load forecasts are approaching an all-time peak, even greater than those experienced during the polar vortex of January 2019.

The company’s reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, has made this request to Entergy and other utilities in its footprint, including other utilities in our area.

Freezing rain, snow, and sleet arrived in the Entergy Texas service territory Sunday night and into Monday morning.

Entergy Texas’ western region is experiencing a record all-time load. High electrical power demand has caused a power shortage and issues caused by the freeze are impacting generation units and transmission lines.

A company statement said, “We have already begun rotating outages to restore customers who have been affected the longest. We will continue this rotation process until we are able to return our generation to service and MISO cancels its request for curtailment.”

For more coverage, log onto https://www.panews.com/2021/02/16/entergy-talks-reasons-for-tuesdays-power-blackouts-what-customers-can-expect/