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What is a 'load shed' event?

Gov. Greg Abbott said there was no "guarantee that there won't be a 'load shed event'" this winter. KVUE's Erica Proffer breaks down what that means.

AUSTIN, Texas — On Feb. 1, Gov. Greg Abbott said "no one can guarantee that there won't be a 'load shed event.'" This was a change from statements he made to San Antonio sister station KENS 5 in early December 2021, when he made a guarantee the lights would stay on this winter.

So what is a load shed event?

Electricity works through frequencies. The power at our homes must stay at 60 hertz (Hz). If demand peaks, the frequency drops. If the frequency drops below 59.4 Hz, plants shut down or machines break. Grid managers have nine minutes to get the frequency back up or the entire grid fails, meaning a total blackout statewide – everything. It would take weeks to get back running.  

So these grid managers order what's called a "load shed" when frequency starts dropping too low. They tell utility companies to cut a certain amount of power, causing a blackout to some homes. 

The idea is to rotate it and share the burden. In February 2021, the amount of load shed needed made it impossible for some areas to rotate, which caused blackouts that lasted days.

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