Where does Iowa fit on the energy grid system? Thursday, February 18, 2021 3:02 PM This week, both Iowa and Texas faced below-freezing temperatures as residents bundled up indoors. The difference? As winter storms rolled in, more than 3 million Texas customers were hit with power blackouts as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the nation’s only single-state electric grid operator, failed to meet surging demand. Iowans have experienced widespread power failure before, but the state’s ties to the Eastern Interconnection energy grid -- one of three U.S. grids, including the Western Interconnection and ERCOT -- gives Iowa a broader geographic diversity of resources, as well as diversity of energy production. It’s not a guarantee of protection from widespread events, said Jim McCalley, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University.