Now comes a testĪbout two weeks ago, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, released its " final winterization report" to assess its readiness for this winter. He said the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the grid and is responsible for inspecting its facilities, would be proactive instead of reactive this year. ![]() In December, at the outset of winter in the state, Governor Greg Abbott guaranteed that Texans would not lose power again. Ultimately, state officials said they addressed the problem during the 2021 Texas legislative session, including winter-proofing electricity-generating plants. The storm left a messy aftermath of politicking and arguing in Texas. Others set their homes on fire accidentally by bringing grills and other equipment inside to try to heat their residences. Amidst this crisis, to prevent the electricity grid from collapsing, managers shut off power for large swaths of the state for days. Natural gas for power plants was also in short supply. Many residences and businesses in Texas are heated by electricity. Some equipment at power-generating facilities froze. The deep freeze last year-historically, about a once-in-20-years weather event for the state-caught power providers off guard. During the winter months, when Texas is generally warm and sees reduced electricity demand as customers turn off their air conditioners, power generators schedule needed maintenance and upgrades. This allows it more control over power generation and transmission, but it also leaves the state isolated during power emergencies. In short, Texas maintains its own power grid largely in isolation from those of its neighbor states. ![]() What happened in 2021įor the full lowdown on why Texas experienced widespread power outages a year ago, this Ars story by Jay Timmer offers the goods. And also, critically, instead of lasting about five days, the cold spell will linger only three days.Įven so, this is by far the coldest air mass the region has seen this winter, and it's expected to test the "repairs" made to the state's electricity-generating plants and the grid used to transport that electricity to homes and business across Texas. ![]() So it will be quite cold, but not as cold. For example, whereas temperatures bottomed out at -2 degrees last year in Dallas, during the coming week, lows there will probably only drop into the teens. It is important to note that this front will not be as cold as the February 2021 freeze. Coastal areas, including the state's most populous city, Houston, should be a bit warmer, but nearly all of the state will see a freeze.įurther Reading Deep in the heart of Texas’ collapsing power grid For the next three mornings, for much of the state, temperatures will drop to between 0 and 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, we may be about to find out the truth of the matter.Īs of Wednesday morning, an Arctic front is moving through Texas, and it will bring several days of sustained cold weather. Critics, however, said the state officials only took care of the power companies at taxpayers' expense and left power-generating facilities at risk to extreme cold. In the aftermath of this crisis, the Republican-led legislature vowed to shore up the state's power grid. Nearly one year ago, the state of Texas suffered a debilitating power outage to its independent power grid amidst one of the coldest Arctic freezes in decades.ĭuring this power outage crisis, 246 people died, and homeowners and businesses suffered an estimated $200 billion in damages as pipes froze, melted, and then burst. ![]() Montinique Monroe/Getty Images reader comments 368
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