ERCOT optimistic about restoring power to all Texans
The CEO of EROT, which manages the state’s power network, said at a news conference that he is optimistic that they will be able to restore everyone’s power sooner rather than later.
DALLAS – There seems to be a lot of blame for weakening the power supply in Texas. But things are improving.
The Electric Reliability Board of Texas, the agency that manages the Texas power grid, said it has suspended the order for controlled outages now that there is greater generation and demand is stable.
ERCOT CEO Bill Magness told a news conference on Thursday morning that the power grid was being repaired slowly. He is optimistic that Texans will have their power back sooner rather than later.
The number of powerless customers in the North Texas delivery company Oncor’s service area dropped by about 220,000 overnight to just over 150,000. That was more than 600,000 on Wednesday and 1.1 million on Tuesday morning.
As of Thursday morning, there were approximately 71,000 Oncor customers in Dallas-Fort Worth still without power. The company said the remaining disruptions are the result of storm damage its crew members are trying to rectify.
RELATED: Oncor defends decisions about who may get what not in North Texas
ERCOT said the reason he lost so much power generation earlier this week was due to the extreme cold temperatures.
Magness conceded that it did not do well to let the public know that the interruptions would take place for days in place of eclipses.
ERCOT planned a winter-worst-case scenario, which was basically the winter of 2011. It was ready for anything that came close.
Texas utilities oversight group says power stations need not be defended
The governor also instructed the state legislature to order power stations to meet winter requirements. But with almost 60,000 homes and businesses still powerless in our four largest provinces, who can make sure those requirements are met?
But suppose there is a winter system like this that puts a question to the power grid that is thousands of megawatts larger than the worst case scenario?
“After seeing the scale of this event, it definitely determines what we think we’ll see in history, just as we measured against the strictest system we’ve ever seen in Texas. This one changes the game because it was so much bigger, so much worse and we saw the impact it had, ‘Magnes said.
The public learned Wednesday that it is not necessary to recommend winter improvements for power plants in Texas. So many are not taking steps to protect themselves from the kinds of winter conditions that Texas has seen over the past few days.
RELATED: ERCOT says winter power stations are optional, and power will only be restored at least Thursday
ERCOT said power plants have not invested in winterization because such cold events are rare in Texas and the worst stress usually occurs during the hottest summer.
Magness said the group that regulates the network, the North American Electrical Reliability Organization, could step in and demand winterization of the plants.
The agency also said the decision early Monday to cut power to millions of people for extended periods of time was avoiding a bigger crisis such as a catastrophic eclipse that could take months to overcome.
What about a better system to be with?
Andrew Barlow is the spokesman for the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
They oversee the regulation of, among other things, the electric power industry in the state.
“ERCOT answers us, for example,” Barlow explained.
ERCOT this week calls for forced custody at a level they say is never expected. Therefore, people sat in the dark.
“For what it’s worth, the system works until Saturday, for years, for decades,” Barlow said. “Things got so bad because of power stations that just went offline because it had mechanical failures, wire failures and weather-related problems.”
At present, it is not necessary for the state’s power plants to be defended.
“As a business model and as a business staff, they realize that their best opportunity to get a return on their investment is to be 100% ready when scarcity conditions appear on the network as a result of a weather event like this,” Barlow said . .
In Texas, there are 680 power stations.
It is suggested that everyone take steps to protect their generators from weathering, but this is strictly voluntary.
[REPORTER: “Why is there no mandatory weatherization for power generators in the state of Texas?”]
“This is not something that was legislated by the legislature,” Barlow replied.
It is mandatory for power plants to simply report the presence of a plan. Barlow said there are no mandatory parameters for what should be in the plan.
This is a requirement that came after the 2011 ice storm, which left Texans in the dark during the days before the Super Bowl.
“Systems have been put in place that require the generators to provide reports and updates on weather conditions,” Barlow said.
But some say, ironically, the requirement has no real power.
“What is a broad standard that is inspected in detail at every plant in the state is not something that exists,” Barlow explained.
In fact, of the 680 power stations, ERCOT personally checks about 100 in person each year for advice on how to make it better.
Last year, the reliability board did not visit a single website, but instead reviewed about 95 of them, citing COVID-19.
“You plan for the worst, and then the worst is 100 times like that. You have to shift your standards,” Barlow said.
Barlow said Texans can expect a full review of the legislation to determine if Texas will decide to better prepare for the next time Mother Nature comes to call.
“When the meteor hits, someone is going to complain that the government has not prepared for a meteor strike,” Barlow said.
RELATED: No, frozen wind turbines are not the biggest culprit for Texas’ power outages
Texas leaders blaming Texas’ energy network
The people who design, boast and manage the Texas energy system are attacking them now and then. Texas Tribune reporter Alana Rocha joined Good Day to talk about how even government Greg Abbott of the ERCOT defense is going after the criticism of it. He also blames renewable energy that Texas boasted until a few days ago.
The Abbott government has said the severe cold weather has endangered every power source in Texas over the past few days.
“There are several power sources going into the power grid in the state of Texas,” he said. “Some of the coal and natural gas facilities have frozen or a mechanical failure.”
The governor said that not only coal and natural gas facilities are affected but also other sources such as nuclear power, wind and solar power.
He calls on the Texas legislature to investigate the way ERCOT has handled the events of the past few days.
RELATED: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urges state lawmakers to investigate ERCOT
Regarding the pending investigation, the ERCOT CEO said: “The debt can be assessed very quickly. The debt will definitely be assessed.”
RELATED: Copywriter: Why does Texas have its own power grid?