Rolling blackouts in at least 14 states.
As frigid temperatures, snow, an ice cripple central and southern parts of the U.S. with massive power grid failures, federal regulators and state officials announced new investigations.
The Federal Regulatory Commission and North American Electric Reliability Corporation announced a joint investigation into the failures of the nation’s bulk power systems’ handling of the extreme winter weather.
In Texas, where most of the outages have occurred, Governor Greg Abbott called for an emergency reform of the council, saying the operator of the state’s power grid “has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours.”
Wind turbines have frozen and gas plants have been knocked out from icy conditions. Some plants shut down from being unable to access the fuel they need because producing wells froze.
Electric cooperatives and power companies across 14 states began rolling blackouts early Tuesday morning because their grids are so strained by demand from the bitter cold temperatures. The blackouts will continue until further notice and generally last between 45 and 60 minutes at a time. They say the rolling blackouts are taken to avoid bigger problems with the grid as the cold continues and the grids’ stability is threatened.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For protection for those in the areas most affected by the frigid weather.
- For the power grid controllers and energy suppliers dealing with the rolling blackouts.
- For officials who are investigating frozen wind turbines, frozen wells, and other weather-related disruptions to a stable energy supply.
- For wisdom for Congress and state legislatures as discussions regarding fossil fuels versus green energy continue.
Sources: Washington Examiner, USA Today
