Power outages in Texas: why they happen and when to expect them

Since the 2021 winter storm, ERCOT has been making changes to prioritize grid reliability, Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake instructed the Tribune. For instance, the grid operator asks energy crops to be on-line and accessible on a regular basis in case they’re wanted, as a substitute of logging on or offline primarily based on market demand.

The adjustments, together with different components, have led to skyrocketing energy bills for Texans. Brad Jones additionally told the Houston Chronicle that some machines are older and might endure reliability points, although outage charges have been low thus far.

Energy experts told the Tribune that probably the most evident difficulty is weatherizing pure gasoline manufacturing services, which gasoline the largest percentage of Texas’ power generation. During the winter storm, natural gas production plummeted due to the freezing circumstances and energy outages.

The Public Utility Commission, which regulates ERCOT, and the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the pure gasoline business, have both made efforts to be certain that energy mills can stand up to winter climate although consultants mentioned holes in both agencies’ policies leave wiggle room to avoid weatherization.

In January 2022, the Railroad Commission mentioned that 98% of the natural gas facilities the commission’s inspectors had visited were winterized, although the inspectors hadn’t visited each facility in the state. The Railroad Commission has nonetheless not applied weatherization requirements for pure gasoline firms.

A spokesperson for ERCOT mentioned the grid operator is working with the Public Utility Commission on increasing the quantity of vitality accessible in batteries that ERCOT might name upon when demand requires it.

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