Blackouts start in Texas during a major winter storm

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The Texas grid operator is implementing continuous blackouts across most of the state on Monday after a severe winter storm brought unprecedented demand for electricity and forced the shutdown of several power generating units.

Blackouts started at 1:25 am, central time. The Texas Electric Reliability Council said they were likely to last “all morning and could be started until the end of this climate emergency”.

“Every network operator and every electricity company is struggling to restore power now,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness in a press release.

Blackouts are designed to reduce the demand for electricity until capacity can be restored. ERCOT officials suggested on Sunday that they might be needed, saying they would probably last between 10 and 45 minutes at a time.

The storm that hit Texas is rare both in its extent and in its intensity. On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm alert for all 254 counties. Cities like Dallas and Austin experienced single-digit temperatures on Monday morning. Near the coast, in places like Houston and Corpus Christi, the mood was in its teens.

ERCOT announced on Sunday night that it set a winter record for energy demand, reaching 69,150 megawatts between 6pm and 7pm. ERCOT said on Monday morning that 30,000 megawatts of power generation were removed from the system. The network operator also said it would provide an update at 10:30 am (central time) on Monday.

The storm closed much of the state. Countless roads are frozen, many schools have been closed, and at the request of Governor Greg Abbott, President Joe Biden has declared a federal statewide emergency declaration.