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The council that oversees ERCOT held an urgent meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the winter storm that crippled much of Texas last week. They apologized for the devastation caused by the power outages and pledged to gather the facts to help lawmakers figure out how to prevent this from happening again.
ERCOT CEO Bill Magness was faced with questions from his own board of directors as to why these power outages were so severe and why the agency was unable to predict an outcome as well. devastating before the storm hits.
“I mean, we’ve seen something here that, you know, surpasses any extreme scenario,” Magness said.
In an online presentation to the ERCOT board, Magness showed slides revealing an updated analysis showing nearly half of the power generation units, 48.6%, in the shut down state at most. strong outages.
This is all due to a weather system he described as larger than anything the agency forecasters had ever predicted, challenging the forecast models used to predict winter weather and the energy needs of the ‘State.
“It’s the kind of thing that, you know, moves the goalposts, number one, so we have to know we could see in another event in February 2021, when we look at the extremes,” Magness said. .
ERCOT weather data shows the Dallas / Fort Worth area was zero or below zero for over 140 hours. That’s 40 hours longer than the 2011 winter storm that caused power outages.
This time around, demand for electricity hit an all-time high as all types of power plants – and even the pipelines delivering natural gas to some plants – cold shut, forcing ERCOT to order blackouts to prevent a collapse. much worse overall. power system.
A graph presented at the meeting shows Texas was within five minutes of a power outage that could have crippled the electrical system for weeks or months.
Magness expressed his frustration at the meeting over how long it took to get some power plants back online. Graphics shared today showed that for days many were unable to restart and that’s what turned it into such a devastating crisis with lives lost and homes damaged.
A board member slammed Magness today, saying he didn’t do enough to warn the board of the possibility of a crisis before the storm hits.
“As a board member, I feel very frustrated that this has not happened,” said Jacqueline A. Sargent, board member. “And I just wanted to make that statement.”
As NBC 5 Investigates first reported, ERCOT audio recordings show Magness spent less than a minute discussing the impending storm at the last board meeting, just five days before. the arrival of the storm.
Today he apologized.
“I certainly could have done a better job focusing on what was to come and also having more in-depth communication with the board. So I understand your frustration, ”Magness said.
On Thursday, he will face further questions from House and Senate lawmakers. The start of what some, including Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson, describe as the start of a fact-finding mission.
“It is certainly possible that ERCOT made decisions or not made decisions that it should have taken, and I have some information about it. But until I have complete information, I is not judgmental. There are many other players in this process, both private and public, ”Johnson said.
A fifth member of ERCOT’s board of directors resigned today to join four others who announced their resignations yesterday saying they wanted to avoid controversy that they live in other states.
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