After the Texas power grid failed on a large scale in 2021, when weather reports indicated another heavy freeze, many worried deeply about how it would withstand this time. Earlier this week, Texas residents did receive notices asking them to conserve electricity as the freeze approached. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas did come forward confirming the grid had enough power to withstand the usage levels that were expected for throughout the week, and thus far the power grid has continued to stand tall. Many have expressed their concerns that this is simply a fluke, but many others are celebrating the success, nonetheless.

Major Texas cities experienced below zero temperatures.

In Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, the wind brought with it below zero temperatures. This caused many schools to remain closed, after the already long weekend due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which happened this past Monday.

Not long after the letter calling for reduced electricity use was sent out; the Electric Reliability Council of Texas was actually able to rescind the statement. They released a new one in which they said, “additional grid reliability tools helped us get through record-breaking peak times today and yesterday morning.” They stated this worked in conjunction with the Texans who did follow the request to use less electricity.

Other points throughout the day after the request was rescinded led to concern from meteorologists and electricity experts.

The evening of the initial request statement and then the following request to disregard that request was a time in which experts were concerned once again for the power grid. However, once again the power grid proved to be stronger than expected. Experts had no idea what to expect from the power grid after it failed in February of 2021. At that time Texas residents were without power for several days. The extreme power outage resulted in over 240 deaths.

In the near three years since this incident, state leaders have made efforts to make sure the power grid could withstand more than it could in 2021. Furthermore, they also worked to make sure there were several steps in place to better anticipate and prepare for possible risks to the power grid. The biggest solution reached was an expansion of the state’s solar and wind powered energy.