ERCOT

The plan would raise prices and carbon dioxide emissions, and critics say it may not bring reliability.

ERCOT says that, as a division of state government, it has sovereign immunity. Plaintiffs point out that it is also an independent nonprofit, a fact the grid operator sometimes uses to its advantage.

For some folks in Texas, the forecast for this week brings back unpleasant memories of the winter storm and resulting blackouts in February 2021.

A seasonal report from ERCOT shows the grid should hold up under normal winter conditions. But there are scenarios in which the grid operator would need to institute blackouts like it did in 2021.

The report also recommends the Public Utility Commission hire more of its own analysts rather than rely on industry and other outside groups to help make decisions that affect the entire state.

State lawmakers are discussing ways to increase electric grid reliability, but some experts say the proposed changes could hurt renewable energy without bolstering the grid.

On May 4, 1976, a power company based in Texas sent electricity from a substation in Vernon, Texas, to Altus, Okla. By doing so, they were breaking a deal among power companies in Texas to keep electricity within state borders.

The new climate spending package boosts wind and solar power to clean up the country's electricity grid. But these efforts face an ongoing misinformation campaign.

While there have been improvements to the grid over the past year and a half, some of the root causes of the blackout are still unaddressed.

The state power grid operator has been run by an interim chief since the previous CEO was fired following the deadly 2021 winter storm that crashed much of the grid.