ABC 13 News (Houston) — Texas’ power grid holds up during cold snap, but experts say there is still room for improvement
ABC 13 News (Houston) — Jan. 17 — Texas’ power grid appears to have held up through this week’s cold snap. Power outages were local, caused by things like ice on power lines. Fewer power plants were offline than there had been during the storms of February 2021 and December 2022. Energy expert Doug Lewin said this indicates the plan to weatherize those plants that the Texas legislature ordered after the storms of 2021 may be working.
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The Hill: How the Texas grid held strong amid freeze and fears of blackout
The Hill: How the Texas grid held strong amid freeze and fears of blackoutJan. 17 — A blast of arctic cold blowing across Texas early this week fueled fears of widespread blackouts. But the grid has held strong, protected in large part by the state’s nation-leading renewables industry.
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Reuters: US natural gas demand eyes record as Arctic blast dents output
Reuters: US natural gas demand eyes record as Arctic blast dents outputJan. 16 — U.S. natural gas demand for heating and power generation was set to hit a record high on Tuesday, a day after natural gas supplies fell to near a 13-month low as Arctic weather across much of the country froze wells. Millions of Americans awoke on Tuesday to snow, freezing rain and frigid temperatures as an extreme coldgripped much of the United States, shutting a U.S. Gulf Coast refinery in Texas and halving North Dakota oil production.
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San Marcos Daily Record: Quakes Prompt Officials To Limit Disposal Wells
San Marcos Daily Record: Quakes Prompt Officials To Limit Disposal WellsJan. 16 — The Texas Railroad Commission has suspended nearly two dozen permits that allow oil and gas companies to inject saltwater into the ground, which regulators say has contributed to increased earthquakes of greater magnitude in West Texas. The Austin American Statesman reported the 23 disposal wells hold hundreds of thousands of barrels of produced water, which is a toxic brine. A 2022 report said the state generated 3.9 billion barrels of produced water from extracting oil and gas.
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Forbes: ERCOT can do better than counting on failure-prone Gas (Commentary)
Forbes: ERCOT can do better than counting on failure-prone Gas (Commentary)Jan. 13 — Texas, along with most of the country, is about to get hit with an Arctic blast that will plunge temperatures to extreme lows. But the all-too-recent memory of Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 causing rolling blackouts, hundreds of deaths, and billions in unexpected utility bills leaves Texans more worried than the rest of the country about their power staying on next week.
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Fox 4: Fort Worth Explosion: Atmos Energy says its system was not involved
Fox 4: Fort Worth Explosion: Atmos Energy says its system was not involvedJan. 12 — Atmos Energy announced Friday that, according to the company’s own investigation, there is “no indication” its system was involved in Monday’s hotel explosion in Fort Worth that injured 21 people.
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S&P Global Platts; Strong solar pipeline in Texas with sunny financials that vary by location
S&P Global Platts; Strong solar pipeline in Texas with sunny financials that vary by locationJan. 10 — With an operating generation fleet of nearly 14 GW and a country-leading 90-GW pipeline, Texas is at the forefront of US grid-scale photovoltaic energy, thanks in part to favorable economics. Projected solar financials for the Lone Star state and Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT), though varying across locations, look bright over the latest S&P Global Market Intelligence Power Forecast, with solid revenues in the Houston zone while finances in the West zone are affected by limited transmission and increasing curtailment.