ERCOT Declares Texas Power Grid Ready For Winter

AUSTIN, TX — Texans can be confident there will not be a repeat this winter of the February 2021 power crisis caused by winter storm Uri, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

ERCOT announced Thursday that winterization efforts on the Texas power grid are nearly complete and that electric generation fleet and transmission companies are "ready for winter weather."

ERCOT does not operate any electric facilities but is responsible for balancing supply and demand on the Texas power grid, which serves more than 26 million Texans and 90 percent of the state's electric demand. The organization said it recently completed inspections of 302 electric generation stations and 22 transmission stations, finding only a few instances of facilities needing corrections.

"Texans can be confident the electric generation fleet and the grid are winterized and ready to provide power," ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Weatherization Woody Rickerson said in a news release. “New regulations require all electric generation and transmission owners to make significant winterization improvements and our inspections confirm they are prepared.”

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Some electric generation stations exceeded the winterization requirements, and only 10 had compliance issues needing correction on the day of the inspection. Many of these issues already have been fixed, and all 10 units are still operational, according to ERCOT.

Six transmission facilities had compliance issues with most of those already fixed, ERCOT said.

ERCOT will conduct follow-up inspections on facilities with potential identified issues, the organization said.

ERCOT filed a preliminary summary inspection report with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and will submit a final inspection report on Jan. 18 for review and any potential enforcement action. Generating plants and transmission facilities can be fined $1 million per day for noncompliance with PUC winterization requirements.

The declaration comes just ahead of a cold front forecasted to reach Texas on Saturday, dropping temperatures by 50 degrees and threatening the first freeze of winter.