By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Mexico will provide electricity to Texas to help the U.S. state weather an ice storm that has forced rolling blackouts.
Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission says it has agreed to transmit 280 megawatts of electricity to Texas between Wednesday and Thursday night.
A commission statement says the electricity will be transmitted at interconnection points in Nuevo Laredo - across the border from Laredo, Texas - and Piedras Negras, which sits opposite of Eagle Pass, Texas.
ERCOT orders end to rolling power outages
The agency that supervises the electric power distribution grid for most of Texas has ordered an end to the rolling electrical outages.
However, a statement from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas warns that more rotating blackouts may come without notice.
The blackouts began Wednesday morning, a day after an ice and snow storm blanketed parts of Texas. ERCOT says "energy conservation is still critical during peak demand periods.
The ERCOT region includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Abilene and the Rio Grande Valley. ERCOT manages the flow of electricity to about 22 million Texas customers.
Rotating outages are defined as "controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service, typically lasting 10-45 minutes per neighborhood."
Perry names new top commander of Guards
Gov. Rick Perry is promoting the second-ranking officer in the Texas Military Forces to the top job.
Should the Texas Senate confirm his nomination, Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols will serve as the state's adjutant general for a term expiring Feb. 1, 2013. He will answer directly to the governor in matters relating to the Texas Army and Air National Guards and the Texas State Guard.
Nichols had been assistant adjutant general for air and commander of the Texas Air National Guard under his predecessor, Adjutant Gen. Jose Mayorga Jr., whose term expired Tuesday.
Nichols is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College.