Federal regulators have launched an investigation into the cause of the power outage in Texas. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has confirmed that it will investigate with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. The FERC is the same agency that last investigated the last large amount of winter power in Texas in 2011 and then made recommendations aimed at preventing future recurrences.
On Wednesday, a North Texas congressional group sent a letter seeking an answer from the state’s power grid-managing agency, Earkot. The letter asks what ERCOT did to prepare for this big storm.
Meanwhile, new information has been shown in NBC5 Investigators that, less than a week before the hurricane, ERCOT officials confirmed that the state’s power plant elements are ready for the weather, raising more questions about how such a major failure of the state’s power system could occur. Raises. Happens.
During the storm, ERCOT said 40% of the state’s generators – four out of every 10 – hit offline flights. Those generators have 46,000 megawatts of power, enough to power about 9.2 million homes.
Jesse Jenkins, an energy specialist at Princeton University’s Center for Energy and the Environment, said: “It’s safe to say that while vetrization efforts have failed, they have not been able to keep capacity in line during this extreme weather.”
Jenkins said key questions for investigators would include what power plant operators did to protect equipment from the cold and what ERCOT did to make sure the plants were ready.
“And after the last close calls and rolling blackouts in 2011, attempts were made to vet the system against the cold. And it’s clear that those efforts weren’t up to the task, “Jenkins said.
NBC5 Investigator found records of the ERCOT meeting on ERCOT’s website, showing that, five days before the storm’s impact, ERCOT CEO Bill Magnus assured the group’s board of directors at a meeting, “We’re ready for Frigid Temps on our way. “.
He said the agency has issued notices to power plants to ensure that winter comes properly.
ERCOT’s annual winter assessment in September is designed to ensure the state prepares, assuring people that there will be enough power to meet peak demand this winter.
But then when the bitter cold came, dozens of power plants collapsed off-line, putting millions of Texans at risk.
At a news conference Wednesday, NBC5 investigators asked Earkot CEO Bill Magnus how he and his agency could be trusted after making sure the state was prepared.
Magnes replied, “People in Texas really need to trust us to get out of this crisis, it’s the operators who are working 24/7 shifts to make decisions that will keep the system safe.””
“The guilt can be assessed very quickly,” Magnes said, “The guilt will be assessed accurately.”
NBC5 investigators also tried to reach out to Sally Telberg, chairwoman of the board of directors of Ircot, overseeing the agency. Telberg did not return the call. An ERCOT spokesperson also said that no board members would be available for interviews as their priority now is to re-establish power.
ERCOT confirmed on Wednesday that there are no mandatory rules for the need for a power plant to prepare for winter, only voluntary guidelines.
Earkot says power generating companies are encouraged to be prepared, as they cannot make money if they are not able to generate electricity.
A group of advocates of Texas’ competitive power said in a statement that the power plants were in fact ready for winter and storms – but the state’s weather has been “unprecedented”.
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