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Congressional
SResearch Service
~ ~~ ~informing the legis aive debate since 1914____________________
Power Outages in Texas
February 17, 2021
The extremely cold weather that is affecting much of the country is causing some states to experience
rolling blackouts to avoid a wider collapse of the electric power system. These weather-related impacts
have been particularly acute in Texas. The current situation in Texas has been precipitated by the extreme
cold, as noted by the Washington Post: In the single-digit temperatures, pipelines froze up because there
was some moisture in the gas. Pumps slowed. Diesel engines to power the pumps refused to start. One
power plant after another went offline. Even a reactor at one of the state's two nuclear plants went dark,
hobbled by frozen equipment. Some wind turbines in Texas were frozen, impacting about 10% of the
power generated in Texas during the winter.
Texas's power outages, many experts argue, are largely a result of policies for electricity independence
that the state has pursued for decades. Texas operates its own independent electrical grid, run by the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) that serves most of the state. Texas established ERCOT in
1970 initially to manage grid reliability in accordance with federal standards, and later established
ERCOT as an independent system operator (ISO) scheduling power on an electric grid that connects
approximately 680 generation units. ERCOT remains largely independent from oversight by the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) because of the independent design of the electric power system
in Texas. ERCOT itself states: FERC does not have plenary jurisdiction over ERCOT because electric
energy generated in the ERCOT Region is not transmitted in interstate commerce, as defined by the
[Federal Power Act], except for certain interconnections ordered by FERC that do not give rise to broader
FERC jurisdiction.
The United States has three main electric power transmission systems, the Eastern and Western
Interconnections, and the grid run by ERCOT. While these grids largely operate independently from each
other, there are approximately 1,300 megawatts (MW) of transmission capacity connecting the three
transmission systems. Other ISOs in California and New York operate within the Eastern and Western
Interconnections, and have transmission connections with several other states. ERCOT has two
connections with 820 MW of total transmission capacity connecting it to the Eastern Interconnect, and
these are high-voltage, direct current transmission lines that operate under contract. There are also two
connections that allow power to come in from Mexico. According to ERCOT, these interconnections do
not give rise to broader FERC jurisdiction. The result is that ERCOT's grid, essentially, is not connected
to the rest of the United States.
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
IN11608
CRS INSIGHT
Prepared for Members and
Committees of Congress](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govecfq0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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