Posted on 02/20/2021 9:17:59 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
During their last meeting ahead of the winter storm that left millions of Texans without electricity and potable water for days on end, top officials at the state electric grid operator spent less than one minute discussing the impending storm and whether the state was prepared.
Bill Magness, president and chief executive officer of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, spoke briefly about the winter weather during his report to the board at the Feb. 9 meeting, the only mention of the incoming storm during the public portion of the virtual meeting, which spanned two hours, 28 minutes.
Magness spoke about the approaching cold front for about 40 seconds:
“It is actually going to be winter here pretty soon. As those of you in Texas know, we do have a cold front coming this way. We’ll probably see our winter peak later this week or in the very early part of next week. And Operations has issued an operating condition notice just to make sure everyone is up to speed with their winterization and we’re ready for the several days of pretty frigid temperatures to come our way.
“So more on that in the next couple of days, but it does look like we’ll have a little bit of winter weather to contend with during the course of the rest of this week. We do have a cold front coming this way.”
As recently as one month ago, operators at ERCOT offered a positive assessment about the preparedness of Texas power plants for winter storms, according to an American-Statesman report.
In an Extreme Weather Reliability Assessment filed Jan. 15 with the Texas Public Utility Commission, ERCOT wrote that a “review of plants indicates that the majority of plants are following their weatherization plans.”
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
That didn’t age well.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) has jurisdiction over ERCOT.
Who appointed the members to the PUC?
Here are the current Texas PUC commissioners....who are appointed by Gov Grabbott....
https://www.puc.texas.gov/agency/about/commissioners/Default.aspx
I’m guessing that at this point those 15 seats are hot enough to heat Austin...
That is just an unbelievable picture of Austin!
These commissioners may be grossly incompetent, but what’s important is that two of the three are women!
/s
I will disagree with you. ERCOT does more than you realize, and they have done very well for the past 20 years.
I am not willing to go back to the old rate regulated public utility model. The future is too bright with the technology being invented. We need to modify what we have rather than rip and replace.
However, the forecast was for above-average temperatures.
Junk Grade Models: Even Short-Term Climate And Weather Modelers Get It All Wrong
😂 🙃
why did Texans allow their grid and livelihood
to be run by a woman in Michigan, and people in
other states and Canada and China?????
does not seem very smart.
“ERCOT wrote that a “review of plants indicates that the majority of plants are following their weatherization plans.””
Perhaps their ‘weatherization plans’ should reflect how cold it actually COULD get, rather than basing it on what the plants could handle without significant upgrades.
LOL....are you, or anyone you’re related to, affiliated with ERCOT/PUC?
Asking for several Texans :-)
How about a system where commissioners are ELECTED, rather than appointed, then?
Funny to see Gov Abbott feigning anger....when HE is the one who appointed these PUC commissioners.
“I am not willing to go back to the old rate regulated public utility model. The future is too bright with the technology being invented. We need to modify what we have rather than rip and replace.”
I agree with you on this. I paid less than 8 cents per kwh for most of the past 10 years. Tell me to pay 9 cents, but have grid-based backup capability ready to go on a bad day, I’m good. But tell me to pay the 30 cents they’re paying in California (with still some reliability questions, by the way), NO THANKS, since it would be far cheaper for me to have a backup generator and some water storage, than to pay thousands more for power (and to then still lose it after a hurricane).
Maybe ALL the commissioners should actually live in Texas.
“why did Texans allow their grid and livelihood
to be run by a woman in Michigan, and people in
other states and Canada and China?????...does not seem very smart.”
You can almost certainly trace it to Washington, DC forcing it on Texas, in some way. I can’t say that I know that for sure, yet, but just watch, there will be something - like a requirement saying we cannot operate power plants without directors that ‘look like America’. Mark my words.
That, too.
Elected, IN state Representatives.
I am not affiliated with either. I have, however, worked in the energy business.
Lumping the PUC with ERCOT is like lumping the SEC with the NYSE.
The PUC regulates and controls ERCOT, but the two have very distinct functions. ERCOT manages the deregulated electricity market. If we abolished it, the PUC would have to regulate the power companies instead. That is what we had 20 years ago.
Do you like to be able to shop for electric providers, or would you like to take what you get and pay what they say?
I’m beginning to wonder if this was done on purpose.
Rep. Ro Khanna
@RepRoKhanna
As Chairman of the
@OversightDems
’ Environment Subcommittee, I’m launching an investigation into how this mess unfolded. We need to know why so many fossil fuel sources failed, why ERCOT wasn’t better prepared, & who participated in the conspiracy to falsely blame renewables.
AOC raising millions and coming to Texas.
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