Lights out

17 Feb 2021 By Robert Cyran Follow @rob_cyran

Nearly 3 million Texans are without power days after a cold snap crippled infrastructure. Free market policies and the desire to avoid oversight deserve blame. Yet California’s power isn’t great either. Reliable grids are expensive. That’s unpopular for all political persuasions.

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Nearly 3 million people in Texas were still without power on Feb. 17, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, a cooperative responsible for managing the electric grid for most of the state. A storm and cold snap forced about 34 gigawatts of generation off the system, or roughly 40% of 82 gigawatts of expected capacity.

ERCOT said the cold snap limited natural gas supplies, lowered gas pressure, froze instruments at power plants and froze wind turbines.

Texas produces and consumes more electricity than any other state. ERCOT is not subject to federal oversight and is largely dependent on its own resources, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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