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Central Texas experienced historic winter weather the week of Feb. 14, with a stretch of days below freezing. Sleet followed snow followed freezing rain, leading to a breakdown of the electric grid and widespread power outages. Water reservoirs were depleted and frozen pipes burst, leaving some without service for days.

Listen To 'The Disconnect: Power, Politics And The Texas Blackout,' A New Audio Series About The State's Power Grid

A rusty electrical transformer on a telephone pole with ice-covered power lines
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
Ice on trees and power lines in South Austin during the Texas freeze in February.

In February, in the midst of a brutal winter storm, the lights went out for millions of Texans. Hundreds of people died. Many more were left shivering in their homes.

How could something like this happen in the energy capital of the U.S.?

Hosted by KUT's Mose Buchele, The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout looks at more than a century of events that led up to February — and what happens now.

From how Texas became an island of electricity in the U.S. to the great experiment of electricity deregulation that began in the 1990s, we'll help you better understand how we got the electric grid we have in Texas and how it failed so spectacularly this year. Plus, we'll look at what state leaders have done to try to fix it and what remains to be done.

Subscribe to The Disconnect podcast here or listen to each episode below.

Episode One: The Energy Island
Episode Two: The Electricity Game
Episode Three: The Blackout
Episode Four: The Fallout

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Listen to the trailer here:

Disconnect Audiogram HIGH FINAL.mp4

Matt Largey is the Projects Editor at KUT. That means doing a little bit of everything: editing reporters, producing podcasts, reporting, training, producing live events and always being on the lookout for things that make his ears perk up. Got a tip? Email him at mlargey@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @mattlargey.
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