Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) predict that the Lone Star state may experience rolling power outages this winter if a cold snap as severe as last year’s hits the region again, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Philip Jankowski. In December 2022, parts of Texas saw temperatures at or below freezing for extended periods, and power demand peaked at 74,100 megawatts two days before Christmas.
Citing ERCOT’s monthly reports, Jankowski wrote that energy officials estimate a 14.4–16.8 percent chance that they will have to issue an order for controlled blackouts if temperatures plummet as they did during the 2022 winter storm. ERCOT’s modeling suggests the greatest risk of blackouts would occur around 8 a.m. when people typically rise and prepare for the day. These timed outages are generally deployed as a last resort to stabilize the grid in times of undue strain. The last time they were used was in February 2021 when a catastrophic winter storm left more than 200 people dead.
