Texas and Midwest at risk of winter blackouts if another deep freeze hits, watchdog warns

[Zorro]

Still unprepared: Main Texas grid could see a power shortfall of 37% in extreme conditions, NERC report finds

Power grids stretching from Texas to the Midwest are at risk of shutting down if a prolonged deep freeze hits this winter, regulators warned Thursday.

The main Texas grid, which is unique in its state-run, and not regional, format, could see a power shortfall of 37% in extreme conditions, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) said in a report Thursday.

NERC’s outlook suggests the state that left 40% of its residents freezing and in the dark during a cold snap last winter isn’t prepared for a repeat.

Widespread outages in Texas remain a “valid” concern, John Moura, director of reliability assessment and performance analysis at NERC, said in a media briefing Thursday.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/texas-and-midwest-at-risk-of-winter-blackouts-if-another-deep-freeze-hits-watchdog-warns-11637291194

[NanceGreggs]

1. DUH!!!

If worse comes to worst, why can't all Texans simply fly to Cancun?

[catrose]

8. If Ted will buy us a ticket

[Woodswalker]

2. I'll provide "Thoughts and Prayers" when it happens

[Skittles]

5. not everyone in Texas is a repuke asshole

lots of good Dems here - hardier than in many places, I might add!

[Thtwudbeme]

3. of course they will. Then we'll have to see all those

posts about "please pray for us."

[Comfortably_Numb]

4. I'm planning for it. Just bought a big upright freezer. When I set it up, I made sure

the plug was accessible when I need to plug in the extension cord from my generator. I don’t want to lose hundreds of dollars of meat. 21st century in Abbott’s Texas and I actually plan for when I have to generate my own electricity. Failed state. Period.

[Delphinus]

10. Failed state ---

yep.

[IL Dem]

6. That's a lousy misleading headline on the article.

I was curious what parts of the Midwest (being in a Midwest state myself), so went to read the article. The only other regions it mentioned were the Southwest and New England states. No Midwest in the body of the article.

[bullwinkle428]

7. I agree that was a ridiculous misdirect in the headline. Those of us living

in the Midwest realize that temperatures well below 0°F are not at all unusual, and the power grids have typically been able to handle the demands associated with that.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. What Part Of The Midwest Do They Mean?

Isn't 90%+ of the Midwest in a climate where there's a deep freeze every year?
Why would a deep freeze this year be different?
And, if the concern is the transportation & logistics issues covered in the article, the why is deep freeze in the headline as the main cause?
Lastly, most of the Midwest does not get natural gas in LN railcars. Most of the Midwest has pipelines direct to regional distribution hubs. If the mean Idaho, Montana, & Wyoming, they should say so. Lots of states in the Midwest.

[Maru Kitteh]

11. Don't worry about a thing!

Ted's already booked his next equatorial vacation. All is well.