Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said Texas’s electric grid will withstand a severe winter blast this weekend, which is set to bring extremely low temperatures and dangerous conditions.
“We feel very good about the status of the Texas power grid, and ERCOT, to be able to effectively and successfully ensure that the power is going to stay on throughout the entirety of this winter storm episode,” Abbott said during a Friday press conference.
Texans are fearful the state’s energy system could fail again after Winter Storm Uri in 2021 left millions without power. The Texas Department of State Health Service reported 246 people died in the storm, while some reports estimate a higher toll — marking one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history. The record-breaking arctic air arrived on Feb. 14, 2021, and lasted three more days. The incoming storm is expected to be less severe.
“What people should expect … is that this will be one of the coldest episodes they will have lived through in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “It will last for several days, but it will not be anything close to what we experienced during Winter Storm Uri. And I want to emphasize that we are much, much more prepared for this than we were for Winter Storm Uri.”
Ahead of the storm, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, issued a “Weather Watch” on Wednesday, warning of “extreme cold weather” and “higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves.” The ERCOT, which operates the state’s main grid, said “grid conditions are expected to be normal and can be monitored” online.
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Last year, multiple conservation notices were sent out by ERCOT, asking Texas residents to lower their electricity use amid extreme weather.
“I want to let you know and reassure you that we are using every tool in our toolbox to make sure that the grid is going to be absolutely ready and prepared to deliver energy to all Texans throughout this weather event,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said Friday “The grid is better prepared than it’s ever been before, in particular as it relates to cold weather events like this that is approaching.”
