Officials at ERCOT, the state’s power grid operator, said Monday they are confident Texas will avoid any statewide power problems as icy weather and frigid temperatures affect North Texas and other parts of the state this week.
Grid experts who spoke to NBC 5 cautioned the ice may impact wind turbines that produce power in West Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and cloudy conditions are expected to limit solar power production. But, on the other hand, temperatures in Houston and San Antonio are expected to remain above freezing, which could help significantly alleviate any power concerns.
Put simply: This week’s weather forecast is very different than February 2021, when a potent winter storm, known as Winter Strom Uri, brought a deep freeze even to the far corners of Texas, lasting for days, and triggering power outages that left millions in the dark.
The warmer temperature in South Texas this week should significantly reduce statewide power demand, grid watchers said, leaving only very low odds for any widespread outages.
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“As a near to zero as you could possibly be, without being zero, simply because we're not looking at temperatures in the single digits for extended days,” said Doug Lewin, an Austin-based energy consultant.
“There's some snow and ice associated with this, but nothing like during Uri, I mean, that was, you know, just an extraordinary event. And, this doesn't look anything like that”, Lewin said.
As of Thursday evening, ERCOT’s online forecasting charts were showing Thursday’s expected peak demand to be about 63,000 megawatts of power. That’s far less than the 77,000 MW estimated peak demand during the 2021 winter storm. One megawatt can power about 200 homes during peak periods.
Still, Lewin said some neighborhoods in North Texas will likely see power outages over the next two days, from ice accumulating on power lines or tree limbs that can break and take down the lines.
Localized issues can be equally frustrating and dangerous if your home is affected. That’s why emergency management officials always encourage people to keep enough supplies at home to ride out the storm while power lines are repaired.
From new records revealing the causes of the massive February power outages to new interviews revealing potential solutions, NBC 5 Investigates gets to the bottom of the state's power problems in the ongoing streaming series "Powerless," available here.
