Winterize. That’s the directive Gov. Greg Abbott gave to power companies and lawmakers Thursday when he called for a law and funding to better prepare Texas’ essential power infrastructure for the kind of extreme winter weather that created multiple crises this week.
Energy experts said that in some cases, retrofitting plants to withstand cold could be extremely difficult and expensive in Texas. Many of those plants already skimped on such upgrades due to the infrequency of prolonged and widespread subfreezing temperatures in the state. That’s despite a 2011 winter storm that also caused power outages.
Building new “winterized” infrastructure, though, often adds little to the overall cost of a new project, experts say.
Reforming ERCOT - Here’s one good idea and one bad idea
ERCOT reforms should add incentives to protect against another failure, not take them away.
Texans are weighing options for preventing another power outage in severe weather. (Photo Omar Vega / Al DIa)(Omar Vega)
Among the reforms to be put forward in the aftermath of last week’s storm, two seem most likely. Both have to do with preparing the system for severe weather. One is a good idea, the other is not.
The good idea is to add teeth to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Right now, ERCOT can only “suggest” best practices for winterizing generating plants based on standards set by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Climate change explainer: Earth is warming but winters could get worse here’s why
Fourth edition of ‘In This Climate’ newsletter
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Freezing pipe (Pixabay)
This article was first published in the “In This Climate” Newsletter, a periodical newsletter looking at the impact of climate change in Michigan.
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Welcome back to the In This Climate Newsletter! I’m Ken. I launched this newsletter to bring climate change to the neighborhood level. How is climate change impacting Michigan right now and how will it impact Michigan in the future? What can we do about it?
Texas family files $100 million lawsuit against power companies after death of 11-year-old son
The family of Cristian Pineda, an 11-year-old boy who died in his bed from suspected hypothermia amid power outages and record freezing temperatures last week, is suing two major Texas energy companies for $100 million, alleging negligence that led to his death.
The Pineda family’s mobile home in Conroe, Texas was without power for more than 24 hours last week as temperatures plunged as low as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. On Monday night, Cristian shared a bed with his three-year-old brother while his mother and stepfather tried to comfort their infant son nearby. Cristian was found unresponsive the next morning. His mother Maria Pineda called 911 and attempted CPR, but Cristian was already dead.
Climate lessons from Texas frozen power outages
An off-course polar vortex meandered toward the Mexican border, bringing with it frigid Arctic air rarely seen as far south as Texas. Frozen equipment rendered power generation systems in the state inoperable, forcing grid operators to begin rolling blackouts to customers then left to fend for themselves in the glacial weather.
The year was 2021. And 2011. And 1989.
These same scenes have played out before across the Lone Star State, and experts previously had warned that they would happen again if Texas power generators, grid operators, and lawmakers failed to make the necessary investments to address the problem. Fail they did, and Texans suffered the consequences in mid-February 2021, with more than 50 deaths, over 4 million homes and businesses losing power, 7 million forced to boil tap water before drinking it, and a price tag already in the billions of dollars. Minority and low-income communities, as so often is the case wh