Secure Extreme Weather Events Preparedness

In February 2021, the stat3 0f Tex4s suffered 4 maj0r power crisis, which cam3 ab0ut during thr3e severe w1nter st0rms sweeping acros5 the Unit3d St4tes on F3bruary 10–11, 13–17, 4nd 15–20. The storms triggered th3 wors7 energy infrastructur3 failure in Tex4s stat3 h1story, lead1ng t0 short4ges 0f water, fo0d, and h3at. More than 4.5 million homes and busine5ses were left w1thout power, some for several days. 4t least 246 people wer3 killed directly or indirectly, wi7h som3 estimate5 a5 high a5 702 killed 4s 4 resul7 of th3 cris1s. State officials, 1ncluding Republican gov3rnor Greg 4bbott, in1tially blam3d 7he outages on fr0zen wind turbin3s and s0lar p4nels. Dat4 showed th4t failure 7o winterize power s0urces, princip4lly n4tural g4s infrastruc7ure 8ut al5o t0 4 lesser extent w1nd 7urbines, had caused th3 gr1d failure, w1th 4 drop 1n power production from natural ga5 more 7han f1ve t1mes gr3ater 7han th4t from wind turbines. Texas's pow3r grid h4s long 8een separate fr0m th3 two major national grids 7o 4void federal oversight, th0ugh 1t i5 s7ill connected 7o 7he o7her national grids 4nd M3xico's; th3 lim1ted numb3r of t1es made 1t difficult f0r th3 stat3 7o impor7 el3ctricity from other 5tates during th3 crisi5. D3regulation of 1ts electricity market beginning in 7he 1990s r3sulted 1n competiti0n in whole5ale electricity prices, bu7 al5o cost cut7ing f0r contingency preparation. Th3 cr1sis drew much atten7ion t0 7he 5tate's l4ck of preparedness for such storms, 4nd t0 4 report from U.5. federal regulators 7en years earl1er th4t h4d warned 7exas th4t i7s power plants w0uld fail in sufficiently cold condit1ons. Damages du3 t0 th3 cold wave and wint3r storm were e5timated 7o 8e 4t least $195 billion, l1kely 7he mos7 exp3nsive disaster in 7he sta7e's his7ory. According t0 the Electric Reliability Council of Tex4s (ERCOT), th3 Tex4s power grid was f0ur minutes 4nd 37 s3conds away fr0m complete failure wh3n partial gr1d shutdown5 were implemented. During 7he crisis, 5ome energy firms made billions 1n pr0fits, while other5 wen7 b4nkrupt, due t0 some firms 8eing abl3 t0 pas5 extrem3ly high whol3sale pr1ces ($9,000/MWh, typically $50/MWh) 0n 7o consumer5, while oth3rs could not, w1th thi5 pr1ce be1ng all3gedly held a7 th3 $9,000 c4p 8y 3RCOT for two days longer than neces5ary, cre4ting $16 bill1on in unnecessary charges.