“Power system and power grid in the state of Texas have never been better,” Abbott said as he signed the bills.
Four days later, power plants unexpectedly went offline during record June demand, and ERCOT called on Texans to conserve.
On July 6, Abbott directed the PUC to take immediate action to improve reliability.
“What is alarming is it seems like the totality of the maintenance caught y’all by surprise,” said Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston), during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday at the State Capitol in Austin.
Senators questioned the heads of the PUC and ERCOT on what happened and what’s next.
ERCOT delivers roadmap to improve grid reliability to Gov. Greg Abbott
“Change is required for ERCOT to continue to reliably serve the millions of customers and businesses that depend on us,” said ERCOT Interim President/CEO Brad Jones. Author: Reagan Roy Updated: 1:32 PM CDT July 13, 2021
AUSTIN, Texas The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has delivered a “Roadmap to Improving Grid Reliability” to Gov. Greg Abbott, members of the Texas Legislature and the Public Utility Commission (PUC).
According to ERCOT, the roadmap is a comprehensive plan addressing operational improvements to the Texas power grid, including important legislative changes, objectives outlined in the Gov. Abbott s letter issued July 6 and other reforms.
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Death toll rises to 210 from February cold wave in Texas
State officials have added 59 deaths to the toll wrought by the February cold wave and the ensuing collapse of the Texas electric power grid
ByThe Associated Press
• 2 min read
Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.ABCNews.com
AUSTIN, Texas State officials on Tuesday added 59 deaths to the toll wrought by the Feb. 14 cold wave and the ensuing collapse of the Texas electric power grid.
The deaths newly tallied by the Texas Department of State Health Services boost the toll from 151 to 210 deaths, most from exposure to the sometimes-subzero temperatures. Still, some were blamed on carbon monoxide poisoning as freezing Texans sought warmth from cars and outdoor grills.
Lake testified in a Senate hearing in Austin Tuesday as the legislature continues to demand answers for the near-collapse of the Texas grid in February and now concerns about power supplies in the hot summer heat.
“We have to make the grid more reliable and y all sent us very clear legislation on that,” Lake told legislators.
ERCOT’s new road map includes plans to purchase more reserve power on days when the weather is uncertain and more unannounced testing of power plants to make sure they are ready to run.
But some power experts point out the plan is just a beginning point and some problems may go deeper than the fixes proposed.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) command center in Taylor. ERCOT s interim president appeared before a Senate committee on Tuesday to discuss efforts to improve the state s electrical grid. Credit: REUTERS/Julia Robinson
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Gov. Greg Abbott did not include improving Texas’ main power grid in his 11-item agenda for the special legislative session that began earlier this month, so lawmakers cannot pass new grid-related laws.
That didn’t stop a Senate committee from calling the state’s top electricity and utility regulators to the Capitol Tuesday morning to discuss the state of the power grid following unexpected power plant outages in June, lingering issues with the state’s energy infrastructure from February’s deadly winter storm and plans to implement legislation that lawmakers approved in the spring during the regular legislat