As we enter the heart of the winter season, Texans might be wary due to last year’s catastrophic ice storm that put millions without power and heat. But residents can have a bit of peace of mind as, after more than 300 tests, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has announced that the power grid is in good shape and ready for extreme winter weather events.
According to a report by WFAA, the inspections covered about 85% of the power generation that was lost during the February 2021 storm that cut off power across the state and resulted in multiple people dying. The units were reportedly inspected for winterization as required by Texas law that was signed this fall in response to last year’s storm.
“Texans can be confident the electric generation fleet and the grid are winterized and ready to provide power,” Woody Rickerson, ERCOT's vice president of Grid Planning and Weatherization, said in a news release.
ERCOT reportedly inspected 302 units and found that 10 needed corrections. Those fixes have been tended to since, ERCOT said. This only made up 1.7% of the power. Twenty-two transmission facilities were also inspected and six had minor problems that have also been fixed.
It has been an ongoing effort by state legislators and power officials to make sure something like last winter never happens again. Violations of winterization carry a fine of $1 million per day to ensure this.
Prior to the threat of cold setting in this year, Gov. Greg Abbott ensured that a highly criticized winterization loophole was closed for natural gas suppliers, according to Houston Daily. Suppliers that previously had an easy route to opt out of winterization requirements now faced more stringent requirements that forced many to ensure full winterization ahead of the expected cold season. Abbott said every measure was being taken to make sure the Texas power grid was fixed.
Public Utility Commission Chairman Peter Lake said that the grid was “stronger and more reliable than ever” back in December, and assured Texans that outages wouldn’t occur. Also in December Abbott previously made similar claims, as reported by the Austin Journal.
“Listen, very confident about the grid,” Abbott said. “And I can tell you why, for one: I signed almost a dozen laws that make the power grid more effective. I can guarantee the lights will stay on.”
Abbott added that ERCOT has taken a different approach this year, saying that instead of being reactive like last year, they are working to make sure there will be enough power to keep lights on.
The University of Texas at Austin and the Texas Tribune polled 1,200 voters in October, and only 18% approved of how the energy issue was handled during the February 2021 storm, while 60% disapproved. Upon publicizing those results, the poll’s co-director Jim Henson said there was a “lurking uncertainty and doubt” about the electric grid, according to Texas Tribune.