Texas
Texas is the second-largest U.S. state by area and population. The state contains a significant portion of the nation’s energy infrastructure, including major oil refineries, natural gas operations, and electrical generation facilities. Texas’s power grid is managed by ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), an independent system operator responsible for approximately 90% of the state’s electricity load.
2021 Power Grid Outage
In February 2021, Texas experienced a major power grid failure during an unusually severe winter storm. Widespread outages affected millions of residents and businesses across the state for several days. The outage was attributed to a combination of factors, including inadequate winterization of power generation and transmission infrastructure, increased demand for heating, and insufficient reserve capacity. The event prompted investigations and subsequent discussions about grid reliability and resilience in the state.