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Governor Abbott held a press conference on February 3 at the Alternate State Operations Center to provide an update on the severe winter weather impacting the state of Texas this week. The Governor was joined by representatives from the Texas Division of Emergency Management, ERCOT, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Railroad Commission of Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Military Department, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of State Health Services, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. 

 

This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight of the discussions on the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer and the desire to get details out as quickly as possible with few errors or omissions. 

 

Governor Greg Abbott 

  • Dealing with one of the most significant icing events in decades 
  • Power grid is performing well at this time; expected demand does not exceed generation capacity 
  • Plenty of power for the remainder of today and tomorrow 
  • At expected peak demand, should be 10,000 MW in extra power capacity 
  • 20,000 MW in extra power based on current demand 
  • Are about 70,000 customers without power despite the grid functioning efficiently 
  • Are local issues with power providers; most causes of power outages are wind effecting lines or icing conditions bringing down power lines 
  • PUC.texas.gov/storm can be used to contact power providers concerning outages 
  • Are more than 10,000 line men assisting in fixing down power lines; 2,000 more are coming from outside the state to expedite repairs 
  • Will sign a proclamation for TxDOT to waive regulations to allow trucks to get into the state faster 
  • For local jurisdictions issuing a disaster proclamation for 17 counties across the state most affected; may be additional counties to be added later 
  • Have 15% more power generation capacity and reserves than last year 
  • 99% of power generators who were required to winterize passed inspection 
  • More generators were required to complete maintenance before the storm 
  • More natural gas facilities are designated as critical infrastructure 
  • Have several days’ worth of natural gas storage 
  • Friday morning is expected to have peak demand on the grid 
  • The grid is the most reliable and resilient than it has ever been 
  • Texas Military Department have 127 personnel and 52 vehicles and will add more as needed; have deployed winter weather packages 
  • Have been involved in assisting motorists in the Abilene area 
  • Texas A&M Forest Service assisting TxDOT and TDEM 
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife are prepared to support with personnel and vehicles 
  • Assisted with motorists in the Wit 
  • Some state parks will be closed as we work through the storm 
  • Texas Animal Health Commission is activated with the State Operations Center; preparing to aid with hay and feed livestock support 
  • DSHS has put three emergency packages into the field; have delivered 100 oxygen tanks in the Austin area 

 

Peter Lake, PUC 

  • Have received reports on outages due to down power lines; are working with locals to ensure power is restored as soon as possible 
  • Worked with them to ensure personnel was in place before the storm began 
  • These are local outages and are not related to issues with the power grid 
  • Will continue implementing the reforms passed the last couple months 
  • Have more reserves and are operating the grid more conservatively 
  • Have worked with the RRC to identify critical infrastructure 
  • Market reforms in ERCOT ensure generators have additional fuel onsite 
  • Generators have pre-positioned crews in case there are operational problems 

 

Brad Jones, ERCOT 

  • Have been operating the electrical grid in a conservative manner 
  • Forecast has increased by 3,000 MW and wind expectations have increased 
  • Icing has not occurred as severely in the Western part of the state 
  • Have been communicating with those in the industry and agencies to ensure  
  • Have been granted enforcement discretion from the TCEQ 
  • Weatherization program is working as we hoped it would 

 

Christi Craddick, RRC 

  • Have been conducting calls with natural gas companies since Monday; do not expect natural gas to go out 
  • If there are any outages, call your local provider 
  • On operator call this morning, operations are continuing as normal 
  • Fluctuations in production are occurring as they would normally 

 

Toby Baker, TCEQ 

  • Granted enforcement discretion to ERCOT 
  • Have not received any boil water notices across the state 
  • Expect there will be frozen lines at some point 
  • Texans need to closely follow their water provider 
  • If you see a pipe break, report it to your provider 
  • If a pipe breaks in your wall or on the street, turn your water off 

 

Marc Williams, TxDOT 

  • Personnel are active statewide 
  • Pre-treatment efforts have been replaced by de-icing; heavy rains affected pre-treatments 
  • W of I-35 there are many roadways that are covered by ice 
  • Need to take extreme caution with bridges and overpasses 
  • TxDOT has had assistance from many state agencies 
  • Metroplex sees a heavy amount of snow and freezing precipitation 
  • Notes the closures on the roads including parts of I-10 
  • If you do not have to drive, do not get on the road 

 

Steven McCraw, DPS 

  • Have responded to crashes and those who are stranded across the state; many causes have been driving too fast 
  • If you are stranded, call 1-800-525-5555 

 

Nim Kidd, TDEM 

  • Have warehouses with food, water and blankets; have personnel in the field and at-the-ready 
  • Over 800 warming centers are open statewide 
  • If you do not need to be travelling, do not get out on the roads 
  • Will see water pipe freezes, be mindful to protect your property and life 

 

Q&A 

 

Q: How effective was the pre-treatment? 

  • Williams – A lot of the pre-treatment efforts were diminished because of heavy rains; roads are dangerous even if there was pre-treatment 

 

Q: Rules waived for line crews? 

  • McCraw – Wavier handles flexibility for the delivery of groceries, personnel, fuel or propane 
  • Abbott – Removes the regulation of the hours of operation 

 

Q: Had any reports of gas production facility failures? Was a natural gas facility that had a failure and had emission leaks? 

  • Craddick – Are fluctuations in the production, that is normal 
  • Craddick – Are aware of operators who are having issues, but they are dealing with it; is not affecting the flow of gas 
  • Q: Not concerned about the resulting emissions from that failure? 
  • Craddick – That would be a TCEQ question 

 

Q: Peak demand has risen and reserve power supply has dropped from original estimates? 

  • Lake – ERCOT has refined their forecast since we are close to the operating day; are comfortable with the amount of excess capacity