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Director's Picks

The grid is not fixed’: Report outlines the likelihood of power outages this winter

Summary

The Bullard Center Director's Picks:

A recent report from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has raised concerns about the state's power grid, suggesting a 1 in 7 chance of rolling outages if conditions similar to last winter's Elliot are experienced. The report's findings underscore the ongoing vulnerabilities in the power grid and challenge the belief that the system is entirely fixed after the February 2021 Winter Storm Uri. Doug Lewin, author of the Texas Energy and Power Newsletter, discusses the report and criticizes the state's approach to preventing outages, citing efforts to bring retired power plants back online rather than addressing energy efficiency and weatherization. Winter, with its unique challenges, remains a critical concern for the grid's reliability.

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