Get ready for our power grid to once again have issues this winter.
Texas’ grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has warned about a “greater-than-average” potential for extreme cold this winter. This is bad because our grid doesn’t exactly do well when it’s cold (or when it’s hot, honestly).
During an ERCOT board meeting on Tuesday, the agency’s chief meteorologist, Chris Coleman, highlighted the growing frequency of cold extremes, emphasizing that patterns this year mirror those of 2021, when a winter storm unofficially named Uri devastated the state.
“The more I look at this winter, the more cold potential I see,” Coleman told Reuters. “We’re in a pattern that supports something like a Uri this winter.” While he clarified that another catastrophic storm isn’t guaranteed, the conditions are reminiscent of the deadly storm that claimed nearly 250 lives and left millions without power.
Although cold weather spikes are becoming more frequent in Texas, average winter temperatures are generally rising, Coleman noted, per Reuters. According to data collected since 1895, last winter ranked as the 11th warmest on record.
ERCOT officials, however, insist that the grid is more reliable now. Over 10,000 megawatts of new power generation — ranging from solar and wind to natural gas and electricity storage — have been added since November. This new capacity, especially in solar and storage, is greater than what many states have in total, ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said.
But demand for electricity during winter is climbing, with January 2023 marking a record peak of 78,349 megawatts in Texas. And Vegas noted that demand for power increases in the cold, while solar and wind sources produce less power in the winter, the Texas Tribune reported.
Still, Gov. Greg Abbott claimed he’s not worried about Texas’ power needs — despite all the weather warnings. Texas is “fully prepared as a state to keep the power on through whatever storm arises,” he said during a news conference on Tuesday, according to the Tribune.
Despite these assurances, Coleman noted a troubling trend in the Reuters report: Five of the last eight Texas winters have experienced severe cold spells, compared to just three over the previous 25 years. Scientists attribute this increase in extreme weather to climate change, though the topic was notably absent from ERCOT’s discussions. Because why talk about the real issues?
