In Texas, the winter storm can cause power outages

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Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster statement Friday afternoon for all Texas counties as a massive winter storm threatens to shatter the state’s power grid, power lines and roads.

“Texas should follow the guidelines of its local leaders and stay alert to the changing weather conditions in its area,” Abbott said in a press release.

The state’s power grid could see record winter electricity demand from jeans trying to stay warm this weekend. This means that the capacity of the Texas power grid will be tested, most of which is administered by the Texas Electric Reliability Council. It is unclear whether this will result in shutdowns in Texas or “rotating outages” as ERCOT calls system electrical outages.

“We have maybe seven days of great stress here,” said Ed Hirs, an energy economist at the University of Houston.

Abbott’s order comes when the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings or clocks for most of the state. The icy weather is expected to last throughout the weekend and through Monday evening. According to a warning, the Dallas-Fort Worth and Central Texas areas could see slight accumulations of ice and snow from 3 to 6 inches.

Some areas have already experienced power outages or icy roads. In Fort Worth, more than 130 vehicles were involved in a deadly road accumulation Thursday.

The North Texas warning said the wind chill is expected to drop to less than 15 degrees. The service also predicts record minimum and single-digit temperatures in much of Texas over the next few days. The 6-degree forecast on Tuesday in Austin would be the coldest low since December 1989, according to the American statesman from Austin.

“Travel will be dangerous,” the National Weather Service alert said. “Dangerous conditions will persist for several days, given the expected long duration of extremely cold temperatures. Cold temperatures of up to 15 below zero could cause hypothermia if no precautions are taken. “

In the statement, Abbott wrote that the weather would pose an “imminent threat” of property damage, injuries and loss of life due to freezing temperatures, snow and rain.

Abbott ordered the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy a wide variety of state resources, including through the Texas Department of Transportation to prepare roads, the Texas Highway Patrol to assist stranded drivers, and the Utilities Commission. to monitor and report electrical outages.

Power grid regulators expect electricity demand in the next few days to flow just below the record demand commonly seen in the summer, when jeans begin to cool their air conditioning. But Texas ’electricity market is set up for summer electricity demand. They are not ready for winter, experts say.

Additional generators, such as natural gas plants, are in operation to support increased energy demand during Texas heat.

Some of these energy sources are offline during the winter, when demand for electricity does not usually rival that of the summer months, according to Hirs, the energy economist. And icy temperatures have left many wind farms dormant while operators are dealing with idle blades at idle.

ERCOT spokeswoman Leslie Sopko urged Texans to follow the agency’s twitter page and website for updates on the state of the network.

Companies that supply wholesale energy to homes and businesses prepare for emergencies. They keep crews staying statewide over the weekend, when the crews would normally return home.

The Texas Electric American branch, called AEP Texas, supplies power to more than a million Texas homes and businesses throughout South and West Texas. Larry Jones, a company spokesman in Austin, said continued shutdowns are a last resort designated by ERCOT.

“We would issue rotating interruptions in parts of our service territory,” Jones said Friday. “These can last from 45 minutes to an hour. You can turn them around in an effort to minimize the impact on customers. ”

If an outage occurs, Jones said, AEP Texas often tells customers to turn off their home’s major electronic devices, such as laundry machines and heating and ventilation units.

“This will show people the difference between a cold snap and a cold snap,” said Andrew Barlow, director of foreign affairs for the Texas Public Utility Commission, an agency that oversees ERCOT, about the upcoming weather. “Jeans are used to having a mild and normal winter weather: a day under the ice, maybe a pinch of snow and a bit of ice. But weather models show that this could last for two to three days. That takes you from moment to spell. ”

Correction, February 12, 2021: Due to a Reuters error, an earlier title in the image of this story incorrectly indicated where the photo was taken. It represents Corpus Christi, not Robstown.