Gov. Abbott: Texas power grid 'much more prepared' for winter weather than in the past
AUSTIN, Texas - When Texans hear about extreme cold in the forecast, our minds instantly ask the question: will the power stay on?
Governor Greg Abbott says this storm is extreme, but not like the winter storm in 2021 which left the state paralyzed.
"I know a lot of people are concerned, is the power going to stay on," said Gov. Abbott at a news conference on Friday. "We feel very good about the status of the Texas power grid and ERCOT to be able to effectively and successfully ensure that the power is going to stay on through the entirety of this winter storm episode."
From Saturday to Wednesday, the entire state will experience temperatures below freezing.
Gov. Abbott said while the power grid operated by ERCOT is fully prepared, they are predicting tight conditions after the MLK holiday.
ERCOT issues Weather Watch for next week; freezing temperatures forecasted
With freezing temperatures in the forecast, ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch for multiple days next week. The power grid operator says grid conditions are still expected to be normal.
"We are expecting Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning to be the tightest times for the power grid," Abbott noted.
Projections from ERCOT show the tighter conditions early next week, notably Tuesday morning and again on Tuesday night.
Pablo Vegas, the CEO of ERCOT, says because there will be little precipitation statewide, renewable energy like wind and solar will perform as normal.
Vegas says the changes with winterization also has power generators prepared.
"We have completed nearly 1,800 weatherization inspections over the last couple of years. We are on track to do 450 this winter alone," said Vegas.
Abbott echoed that statement, saying this is a different type of storm compared to the 2021 winter storm, which resulted in the state being in the dark for days.
"It will last for several days, but it will not be anything close to what we experienced with Winter Storm Uri," the governor said. "We are much, much more prepared than we were for Winter Storm Uri."
As of Friday, looking at the forecast, ERCOT says we will not go into any conservation calls.
"We do expect the ERCOT grid to be normal conditions throughout this weather event. There is no expectation of an energy emergency, and we are not calling for conservation at this point in time. Now, things can change and if it does change we’ll continue to communicate openly over the course of this weekend," said Vegas.
State officials said if your power goes out it could be due to downed lines or strong winds. That repair is on your local energy provider, not grid related.
Grid conditions to tighten early next week
The arctic blast coming to North Texas will drive up power usage. While ERCOT says the grid can handle the increase, and is in a better position than it was during the deadly winter storm in 2021, there will be some times when conditions will be tighter than usual.
Whether it is a grid issue, or local power lines going down, Texans like Duncan Riley are getting the generator ready.
"We’ve lost power, two or three years ago, we lost power for four or five days. Last year we lost it about a day, so just want to keep the house warm with the generator if need be," Riley said.
The winter weather is not expected to bring as much precipitation or last as long and be as widespread as 2021, but critics still fear the cold could impact gas supply lines that fuel generators.
"We don’t anticipate a problem, everybody’s staged and ready to go, and we should have plenty of fuel in the state," said Christi Craddock, the chair of the Texas Railroad Commission.
But some say they are concerned about what we might see next week.
"While we don't hear calls for conservation yet, as somebody who is working deeply in the industry, I am very much concerned," said Michael Lee, the CEO of Octopus Energy US, a retail electric provider that emphasizes renewable energy sources.
He says when solar is providing abundant energy in the day, Texans can crank up the heat then cut it back when the grid is tight at night and in the morning.
"Super-heating your house, having nice energy-efficient houses, will allow for that heat to stay within the house and not be drafty throughout that time period of those handful of risky hours on Tuesday, which will be everyone's focus in the market," Lee said.
An Oncor spokesperson tells FOX 4 they are hopeful, but they have made preparations to respond to any outages that arise.