State
BY HANNAH NORTON
As a far-reaching arctic blast moved toward Texas on Jan. 22, ocials assured residents that the state power grid would withstand the storm and future severe weather. Five years earlier, Winter Storm Uri blanketed Texas, devastating a power grid that was unprepared for the historic February 2021 storm. Nearly 250 people died during prolonged power outages across the state, Community Impact reported. State leaders said they will ensure issues from 2021 do not occur this year, emphasizing that changes have been made in recent years to harden the grid against extreme weather. Texas projects stable power grid through March
Zooming in
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas forecasts the tightest period this February through March will be from 7-8 a.m. daily, when little to no solar power is being produced. During that time, ERCOT found the chances of a grid emergency are 1.13% in February and 1.64% in March. Texans last saw a grid emergency during a September 2023 heat wave, per ERCOT records. The state grid withstood three freezes in early 2025 without ERCOT asking residents to conserve power, Community Impact previously reported. “The power grid system we have today is completely dierent than the power grid system we had [in 2021],” Gov. Greg Abbott said during a Jan. 22 news conference in Austin. “We have abundant power, [and] the reliability of it has never been better.”
Gov. Greg Abbott listens to a Jan. 22 weather brie ng about a winter storm impacting Texas.
HANNAH NORTONCOMMUNITY IMPACT
In recent years, tens of thousands of megawatts of capacity have been added to the grid annually. Energy providers are also required to “weatherize” their facilities to withstand extremely hot or cold temperatures, Community Impact previously reported.
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