Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced that the state is deploying maximum resources to local officials to respond to severe winter weather and to restore power to its communities.
State agencies are sending resources and personnel to help local officials clear roadways and to assist essential workers, such as power grid staff, in carrying out their duties, a comment on the governor’s website outlined.
“Due to the severe weather and freezing temperatures across our state, many power companies have been unable to generate power, whether it’s from coal, natural gas, or wind power,” Governor Abbott said in a government statement.
“ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and the PUC (Public Utility Commission of Texas) are working non-stop to restore power supply. The state has also deployed resources to assist Texans without power and to help essential workers continue to carry out their jobs,” he added in the statement.
“In the meantime, I encourage all Texans to continue to stay off the roads, and conserve energy as state agencies work with private providers to restore power as quickly as possible,” Abbott went on to say.
On Sunday, Abbott sought and received a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy that allows Texas power generators to increase production. ERCOT’s ability to provide power has been limited by the ability of private power generators of all sources, including natural gas, wind, and solar, to generate power for the grid, a statement on the governor’s site noted. To avoid large scale blackouts and damage to the grid, ERCOT began implementing outages while the companies work to restore power generation, the statement highlighted.
Following the extreme weather conditions across Texas, the Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas sector in the state, has asked consumers and businesses to reduce their natural gas and energy use as much as safely possible over the next several days.
To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com
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