Just Announced Texas at Risk For Another Devastating Winter Storm

Could Texas Face Another Devastating Blow to the Power Grid?

Remember the winter storm Uri back in 2021? I mean who could forget a storm that caused weeks of power loss across Texas, numerous deaths, and widespread panic?

ERCOT faced public scrutiny for the scandalous response, or lack of, during the storm. Governor Abbott called for the resignation of ERCOT leaders for leading the massive failure.

Is The Texas Power Grid Good Now?

ERCOT recently announced a startling prediction giving Texans little hope that the power grid is much more capable of withstand future winter storms. ERCOT officials released a new report that revealed an "80% chance that the grid would see blackouts if it experienced a storm on par with Uri."

Although they can't say for sure, forecasts are predicting that there is a good chance Texas will face extreme cold temperatures at the beginning of 2025. Chris Coleman, ERCOT's supervisor of operational forecasting, said "The more I look at this winter, the more cold potential I see," Coleman said. "...This is like a tornado watch. It doesn't mean a tornado is going to happen. It's the same idea for cold weather extreme."

Has Nothing Been Done About The Power Grid Then?

ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas  explained, "We have since evolved that, had several winters of increasing inspections, and also increasing requirements." However, there are clearly still major improvements to be made. In a recent report, ERCOT models revealed that Texas would have almost 50% of rolling blackouts if hit with weather on par in December 2022 and a nearly 80% chance if the state experienced a storm like Uri. 

Maybe now is a good time to invest in that generator.