CenterPoint Energy, commissioned by state power regulators, has begun allowing power outages amid icy temperatures in the Houston region.
While the temperature dropped to teens, the Texas Electric Reliability Board declared a state-of-the-art emergency to save energy. Power consumption is lower as households try to stay warm during the winter storm.
The controlled interruptions began around 1 a.m. and are expected to last all morning. At least 10,500 customers nationwide have been taken offline, but according to ERCOT estimates, there have been two reported powerless strikes under the jurisdiction of CenterPoint Energy in Harris County.
Nearly 60,000 households – about 20 percent of the service area – were without power in Montgomery County.
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CenterPoint’s power outage map was not available from 07:00 to see where the outages were reported.
The initial eclipse “saved enough power to service about 2 million homes,” ERCOT officials said in a statement.
The power distributor in Houston warned that customers would lose power as part of the plan to reduce the load. Interruptions have been reported in the Pearland area and West Houston.
Mayor Sylvester Turner said households without power must do their best to stay warm.
“The power is out in many parts of the city and could be much longer than expected due to a loss of generation,” he said in a tweeted statement.
The state agency had earlier urged households to use as little electricity as possible until Tuesday and to turn down thermostats to at least 68 to save energy.