As Texas braces for a blast of arctic air, energy operators are assuring residents that, unlike the fiasco of February 2021, the power grid is ready to weather the storm. According to a San Antonio Report, CPS Energy and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have both initialized preparations for the expected severe cold snap that is predicted to bring plummeting temperatures into the teens and 20s in San Antonio, and even lower in parts of North Texas.
ERCOT has taken a proactive approach by issuing a Winter Weather Watch from Jan. 15-17, indicating that they "monitor conditions closely," and will "deploy all available tools to manage the grid," under normal operative expectations, despite the arriving fronts. Keeping the past in mind, where the grid was on the brink of collapse, ERCOT's forecast acknowledges a possible grid emergency, putting chances around 20.6% for emergency measures. However, they only predict about a 17% likelihood of rotating outages during peak demand and before solar contributions kick in, detailed in their January report.
Learning from previous harsh winters, CPS Energy is not just standing by, hoping for the best. In a mixer with the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce cited by the San Antonio Report, CPS Energy's President and CEO Rudy Garza confidently stated, "All of [CPS Energy’s] generation is online, which I feel really good about," and reassured that he had spoken with the CEO of ERCOT, affirming, "I think ERCOT is going to be fine."
Per a recent statement obtained by KENS 5, CPS Energy has put forward a declaration of winter weatherization preparedness, with Garza assuring that the utility's units, battered by Winter Storm Uri, have been significantly upgraded to sustain much more severe conditions. Moreover, conserved to ensure survivability are suggested energy-saving tips like insulating pipes and adjusting water heater temperatures. Although the forecast doesn’t promise any precipitation for San Antonio, suggesting that locals may escape the worst of the chilling embrace, those memories frozen still in the minds of residents from 2021's Winter Storm Uri have weighed heavily.
Communication improvements seem to be a focus area for both ERCOT and CPS Energy, with Garza telling KENS 5, "That allows us to follow suit and communicate those conditions to our customers." Texans are encouraged to sign up for Energy Alerts with CPS Energy or register for grid condition notifications through TXANS to stay informed. Real-time and extensive grid conditions are also accessible at ERCOT's official website for those vigilant spirits seeking to monitor the power pulse of the state themselves.
