DALLAS — Texas’ power grid is ready to handle the winter storm expected to hit the state on Wednesday, Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders said Tuesday at a news conference in Austin.
Abbott said the state has prepared for nearly a year for weather with conditions similar to last year’s deadly storm, which caused a failure in the state’s electrical grid and dayslong power outages across Texas. The freeze isn’t expected to be as long as the 2021 winter storm. This week, freezing temperatures will last about 48 hours, unlike last year’s 139-hour freeze when more than 240 people died as a result of the storm.
The power grid, managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, is ready for electricity demand that could be near what the state experienced last year, Abbott said.
ERCOT’s projection, released last Friday, showed demand hitting nearly 71.2 gigawatts on Feb. 4. Peak demand during last year’s winter storm was 77 gigawatts. More than 15,000 megawatts of power will be available to help with demand, Abbott said.
Abbott said there may be several reasons other than the power grid that people lose power, such as fallen tree branches or ice on power lines.
In Houston on Monday afternoon, more than 5,000 people were without power after widespread showers moved throughout southeast Texas, the Houston Chronicle reported. Abbott said the power outage was due to possible fallen trees that were not related to winter weather. Power was restored a few hours later.
Brad Jones, the interim president and chief executive of ERCOT, said the power grid manager has been inspecting its units and generators over the last year to ensure they are prepared.
“We feel very comfortable with their level of readiness,” Jones said. “We are ready for this storm. We’ll be prepared for this.”
Abbott seemingly contradicted himself during the news conference, stating that no one could guarantee that there wouldn’t be any “load shed events” during the storm — a term synonymous with ERCOT-induced blackouts.
However, Abbott has repeatedly guaranteed power would stay on this winter.
The grid’s stability has been a political issue used by Abbott and his political rivals.
Democratic candidate for governor Beto O’Rourke announced Monday that he will embark on a “Keep the Lights On” campaign road tour Friday to stress his main line of attack on Abbott. O’Rourke continued his offensive Tuesday.
”Abbott failed to prepare us for a completely preventable disaster, and then failed to make changes that would protect us from the next extreme weather event,” O’Rourke said in a news release. “To add insult to injury, this governor is forcing ratepayers across the state to clean up his mess.”
After the news conference, Abbott’s campaign shot back, calling O’Rourke’s road tour “pathetic” and “disgraceful.”
”Just when you think Beto O’Rourke couldn’t sink any lower, he comes along with his ‘Praying The Lights Go Out’ tour,” campaign spokeswoman Renea Eze said in a news release. “While Beto is traversing the state rooting for the pain and suffering of fellow Texans, Governor Abbott has been working to strengthen the grid with the PUC, ERCOT, and the Legislature to ensure Texas remains a national leader in energy.”
About 4,000 personnel with the Texas Department of Transportation were deployed to help pretreat the roads, which are expected to become icy and treacherous, Abbott said. He asked that anyone who travels in the next few days to do so with caution.
The Texas Railroad Commission contacted local gas distribution companies, major gas producers and pipeline operators throughout the state this week, all of whom are prepared for potential inclement weather, Abbott said.
Peter Lake, the chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, said the state’s power grid and transmission system exceed the federal winterization standards. Lake also said the PUC has been working with the railroad commission to identify critical gas infrastructure to ensure natural gas continues to flow to power generators.
Texas Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd encouraged people to follow local weather forecasts as the storm approaches. He also warned of pipes freezing and said that everyone should have a plan to stay warm.
Other state agencies, such as the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, are prepared for the inclement weather and will be available to help local governments, Abbott said. TDEM will have local shelters and warming centers with cots, blankets and water. Resources for the nearest location can be found on the TDEM website.
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth issued a winter storm watch for the Dallas-Fort Worth area ahead of the arctic cold front that is expected to blast North and Central Texas beginning Wednesday. The watch is in effect from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday, the weather service said.
Rain is expected to start Wednesday morning and continue into the evening before turning into ice and a wintry mix overnight as temperatures fall. Some snow is possible Thursday morning, the forecast says.
Dangerous wind chills of minus 10 to 10 degrees above zero are possible Friday through Saturday, the weather service said. Low temperatures will be in the teens, and a warm-up is not expected until Saturday.
The weather service advised people to prepare for the storm. It said people should wrap outdoor plumbing; stock up on nonperishable foods and water; prepare for a power outage; and fill vehicles with emergency supplies.
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(Staff writer Maggie Prosser and Austin correspondent Philip Jankowski contributed to this report.)
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