Texas’ power grid has so far withstood a sweeping winter storm that continues to bring freezing temperatures, snow and ice across much of the state — a markedly different outcome from the catastrophic February 2021 blackout that left millions without electricity for days.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state’s power grid, says electricity supply has remained ahead of rising demand during the ongoing cold snap. While scattered outages have been reported in parts of the state as of Monday, there have been no signs of the widespread generation failures that crippled the grid nearly five years ago.
“ERCOT does not anticipate any reliability issues on the statewide electric grid,” the council said in a Monday statement.
As an added precaution, the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday issued an emergency order authorizing ERCOT to deploy backup generation resources during the storm. The order allows backup power at data centers and other large facilities to be used through Tuesday to help prevent blackouts.
What changed since 2021
Prolonged freezing temperatures in February 2021 gripped Texas for nearly a week, pushing demand to record levels and knocking power plants and natural gas systems offline as equipment froze and fuel supplies failed.
More than 4 million people lost electricity, contributing to more than 240 deaths statewide.
In the aftermath, state leaders faced intense scrutiny over the state’s largely isolated power grid and the lack of mandatory winterization standards. The disaster prompted sweeping changes at the state Capitol, where lawmakers passed legislation requiring power generators and natural gas suppliers to weatherize critical equipment and authorizing fines for companies that failed to comply.
