State oil and gas inspectors are not adequately verifying that Texas natural gas production and delivery systems are prepared to keep running in severe winter storms. Regulators have also failed to hold natural gas operators to winter weatherization standards, according to a new report from the State Auditor’s Office. The state mandate requiring natural gas production and […]
ERCOT
Electric Reliability Council of Texas. The state-level organization that organizes utilities throughout the state. According to its web site, ERCOT, “manages the flow of electric power to 24 million Texas customers – representing 85 percent of the state’s electric load.”
Posted inEnergy
U.S. Rep. Greg Casar files bill to connect Texas grid to rest of the country
Of the numerous vulnerabilities exposed by the deadly 2021 Texas blackouts, one caught people’s attention more than the rest: Texas exists as an energy island. Unlike any other power grid in the continental U.S., the energy system that serves 90 percent of Texans cannot share much electricity with neighboring grids. That means when the Electric Reliability Council […]
Posted inEnergy
ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity again Tuesday morning amid freezing temperatures
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking people to conserve electricity Tuesday morning, the second such request issued by the grid operator this week as freezing weather continues to grip the state. In a media release Monday, ERCOT asked people to conserve between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday. The grid operator said it […]
Posted inEnergy
Worried about the Texas power grid? Here’s what to expect from the incoming arctic blast.
It’s almost mid-January, and there are tomatoes growing in my backyard in Austin. That might seem like a strange way to start an article on the Texas power grid. But as the state faces its first big freeze this winter, it’s worth noting how historically warm it’s been so far. “It was our sixth-warmest December […]
Posted inEnergy
Can ERCOT even be sued? Texas Supreme Court will decide.
The Supreme Court of Texas will hear oral arguments Monday in a case that could decide the future of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. At issue: whether the group that runs the Texas energy grid is, in fact, a part of the state government. The case stems from two lawsuits against ERCOT. One of […]
Posted inPublic Health
Texas has an official death count from the 2021 blackout. The true toll may never be known.
In Minal and Rajeeta Shah’s backyard, there once stood a cedar tree. The tall, broad canopy provided shade for the sisters’ garden below, a garden with sunflowers and tulsi and lemongrass. It’s a garden their mother, Manjula, pruned and nurtured for nearly two decades. It still flourishes, despite the best efforts of the Texas sun. […]
Posted inEnergy
Here’s what it would take for ERCOT to start rolling blackouts
Texans woke up Monday morning to a familiar fear, worried that the state’s electric grid may not provide enough energy to see them through the day. While the anxiety is understandable, a shortfall of energy reserves on the system does not automatically mean the grid operator will order rolling blackouts. If you, like millions of […]
Posted inEnergy
Extreme heat in June offers a test and a warning for the Texas grid
The weather forecasted for much of Texas this week would be considered extreme in the month of August … but it’s still spring. The heat will likely drive energy use to new highs and test the resilience of the state’s electric grid ahead of what’s expected to be a scorching summer. Current forecasts have Dallas […]
Posted inEnergy
Legislators respond to winter storm with new requirements for energy providers
The Electric Utility Commission received an update last week on legislative action related to electric utilities, with Senate Bill 3 serving as the omnibus response bill to Winter Storm Uri in mid-February. SB 3, approved at the close of the regular session in May, enacts a number of new requirements for electric generation plants, transmission […]
Posted inEnergy
Austin utilities work to help those hit by storm
The wake of winter storm Uri brought recriminations, finger-pointing and at least one major utility bankruptcy, not to mention the sky-high prices charged to many Texas utility customers. Meanwhile, at Austin Energy, officials have been spending their time trying to figure out how to help their customers. Thursday’s City Council agenda includes items directing Austin […]
Posted inAustin
With energy, water recovery slow, Austin leaders look for answers
With the city’s energy and water utility systems vastly over capacity, local leaders are pushing for immediate solutions to improve residents’ safety and looking at how the state can prevent a similar statewide failure in the future. As of Wednesday night, Austin Energy had restored power to 16 grids that had gone days without power, […]
Posted inEnergy
Power could get cut to circuits that include hospitals as a ‘last resort,’ Austin Energy warns
Austin Energy could decide to shut off electricity to circuits that include critical infrastructure – such as fire stations, hospitals and 911 operations – to prevent the state’s power grid from collapsing, the municipal utility warned Tuesday. “Only as an absolute last resort. I cannot guarantee that we will not get to that stage,” Austin […]