AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas power grid faces an increasing risk of blackouts as power managers and regulators continue to build reliability.
“While we have increased risk that we have to manage, we are also as well-prepared as we have ever been to deal with those risks. And so both of those facts are true. Sometimes they can seem at odds with each other, but they're really two independent points, points that are both accurate and both reflect the state of where we are as we head into this winter season,” Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) President and CEO Pablo Vegas said in a board of directors meeting on Tuesday.
ERCOT manages the power grid covering the majority of the state.
Vegas presented a list of improvements to the ERCOT power grid including weatherization inspections, critical supply chain and infrastructure maps, new communication standards, scheduled maintenance periods and new programs for the marketplace.
“We are in as good a position as we have ever been to deal with the challenges that a winter season can bring,” Vegas said.
Chris Coleman, ERCOT’s lead meteorologist, said the anticipated warmer winter could still be volatile.
“The winter season, unlike the summer, is a very volatile, changeable pattern, and it can flip from 80 degrees to 15 degrees in a matter of 24 hours. You don't see those big swings in the summer,” Coleman said.
The National Weather Service website shows large temperature drops in the early 1900s happened within minutes.
“You always have to take each winter with the approach that an extreme event could occur,” Coleman said.
Coleman’s presentation details how little precedence is set for conditions matching 2023.
ERCOT started its winter weather inspections at the start of December. The inspections will run through February.
“Our inspection program is ahead of pace to what is required from a compliance perspective. We have completed over 1,500 inspections across generation and transmission facilities in the last two years and we have close to 500 inspections planned this winter,” Vegas said.
Records show most of those inspections planned for this year will be for power-generating facilities.
During the meeting, Vegas also reported deadlines for the voter-approved Texas Energy Fund. Loan applications will be accepted starting mid-2024.
Vegas also highlighted cyber security training exercises that took place this year with law enforcement agencies and energy regulators from both the federal and state level.