About 3.1 million residents of Texas were left without electricity when a strong snowstorm disrupted the power supply in the state.
Affected by the polar cold current, the Texans are finding it hard to survive in sub-zero temperatures. Texas is among the worst affected states.
According to various independent sources, the power outage in the state is not just another infrastructure issue, rather it has more to do with the management of the power supply.
Governor Greg Abbott has called for an investigation in the matter and has asked the Texas Electric Reliability Commission (ERCOT) leadership to resign.
He has issued an emergency executive order calling on the legislature to review ERCOT’s performance and its preparation for any such occurrence in the future.
ERCOT manages the electricity distribution to more than 26 million Texas residents, accounting for approximately 90% of the state’s electricity load.
The situation in Texas has raised many questions about the power supply infrastructure of the country where electric grids have been believed to sustain severe storms and harsh weather conditions. However, the infrastructure has collapsed in Texas.
Jesse Jenkins, an energy systems engineer, believes that the infrastructure installed in the past doesn’t guarantee it can withstand climate change happening in the world.
While there is an ongoing debate over the issue of power supply infrastructure in the wake of climate change, experts believe that other climatic challenges such as floods and heatwaves can also damage the infrastructure in the future.
Winter storms also disrupted the traffic flow in other places. The large-scale blackout has affected 5.1 million households in the United States, including 4.2 million in Texas.
Many states will continue to have low temperatures in the future. There is a need to reevaluate the strength and efficiency of the power supply infrastructure in the wake of the Texas disaster.
