| Austin American-Statesman
Listen: ERCOT talks briefly about preparation before the Texas winter storm
At a meeting on February 9, ERCOT operators spent less than a minute discussing the impending winter weather and whether the Texas power grid could handle it.
ERCOT
AUSTIN, Texas – Five members of the board of directors of the entity operating the state’s electricity grid resigned on Wednesday, according to a statement published on the Public Utility Commission website.
Council Chairman sally Talberg, Vice President Peter Cramton and members Terry Bulger, Raymond Hepper and Vanessa Anesetti-Parra will leave the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. None of them live in Texas.
ERCOT was criticized for dealing with widespread blackouts that left millions of Texans without power and water while the state faced sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice. The storm was part of an ice explosion in Deep South that resulted in more than 80 deaths, almost half of which in Texas.
In a joint resignation letter, Talberg, Cramton, Bulger and Hepper acknowledged “the pain and suffering of Texans during the past week” and cited objections to his residency as a motivating factor for his dismissals.
Anesetti-Parra did not sign the joint letter, but a statement sent by ERCOT to the Public Utility Commission registered his intention to resign from the council.
Winter storm blackouts also plagued Texas in 2011. The recommendations made later were not followed.
‘An electric island’: Texas evaded federal regulation for years, having its own power grid
“Our hearts are with all Texans who had to run out of electricity, heating and water during cold temperatures and continue to face the tragic consequences of this emergency,” says the letter. “We noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT. To allow state leaders to have carte blanche with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning the board.”
Craig Ivey, who would hold a vacant position on the board, said in a separate letter that he was withdrawing his candidacy “to avoid becoming a distraction” because of his out-of-state residence.
Republican Governor Greg Abbott, who accused state lawmakers of making changes to ERCOT after the interruptions, said he welcomed the layoffs.
“When Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT failed to do its job and Texans were shivering in their homes without power,” said Abbott in a statement. “The ERCOT leadership ensured that Texas energy infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but these guarantees proved to be devastatingly false. “
A month ago, ERCOT operators offered a positive assessment of the Texas mills’ readiness for winter storms, according to Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network.
When the intense storm hit the state, the main generation units failed and ERCOT operators ordered a series of continuous blackouts to protect the grid from catastrophic failure.
Instead of continuous blackouts, more than 4 million people were without electricity for days.
state officials criticized ERCOT amid blackouts and the state lawmakers scheduled legislative hearings for Thursday and Friday to discuss interruptions.
“We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature and we thank the members of the Council who are stepping down for their services,” says an ERCOT statement.
Talberg, who lives in Michigan, and Cramton, who lives in California, were elected to their positions as chairman and vice president, respectively, on February 9, during a board meeting where power grid leaders passed just 40 seconds discussing the next storm.
Bulger lives in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and Hepper lives in Maine. Anesetti-Parra lives in Toronto.
There are a total of 16 members on the ERCOT board, which appoints directors who manage the day-to-day operations of the network manager.
Huge lines form in Texas for water distribution after the storm
As people across Texas face the potential for new waterline disruptions and power outages with the ice starting to thaw, places set up for delivering bottled water are seeing extremely long lines.
Accuweather, Accuweather
Contributing: The Associated Press
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