THE TRUTH ABOUT WINTER STORM URI

Winter Storm Uri’s power outages were widely attributed to frozen wind turbines and solar panels, leading the public to believe that renewable energy was the main culprit. However, neutral and impartial research, including ERCOT’s own data, reveals that the gas industry–not renewable energy projects–were a significant factor in the grid failure.

Contrary to popular belief, documented research without industry or environmental biases, points to the oil and gas industry as a significant factor in the power outages. Explore the neutral and impartial findings that reveal the truth.

In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, public perception has often pointed to frozen weather and solar freezing as the culprits behind the grid collapse. However, our mission is to set the record straight by presenting verifiable facts in an easily digestible manner. In our pursuit of transparency and accuracy, we’ve delved into a wealth of research, ensuring that the information presented here is neutral, impartial, and not influenced by industry or environmental interests.

In Their Own Words: Expert Testimonies on Winter Storm Uri

“Generator Outage Causes, Fuel Limitations: Generator outages or derates due to lack of fuel, contaminated fuel, fuel supply instability, low gas pressure, or less efficient alternative fuel supply.”

ERCOT, April 2021

“The key driver of load shed during both winter storm events was conventional [thermal] generator outages.” -

ERCOT, October 2023

“A confluence of two causes, both triggered by cold weather, led to the Event, part of a recurring pattern for the last ten years. First, generating units unprepared for cold weather failed in large numbers. Second, in the wake of massive natural gas production declines, and to a lesser extent, declines in natural gas processing, the natural gas fuel supply struggled to meet both residential heating load and generating unit demand for natural gas, exacerbated by the increasing reliance by generating units on natural gas.”

NERC/FERC, November 2021

“Natural gas capacity suffered the most outages and derates during the freeze…”

- Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy, February 2022

“Delivered natural gas volumes declined in the wake of power outages and load shedding. In addition to compression issues on delivery infrastructure, lower production due to wellhead and equipment freeze-offs may have contributed. The impact was significant, as ERCOT reported that fuel supply limitations were responsible for a large fraction of natural gas-fired power plant outages.”

Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy, February 2022

“Natural gas accounted for 71% of the incremental outages in the 12 hours following the EEA level 3 declaration.”

Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy, February 2022

“The rapid pace of natural gas outages in the 12 hours following the EEA level 3 declaration is striking.”

Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy, February 2022

Setting the Record Straight on Uri Outages

A Closer Look at the Facts

October 2023 – ERCOT

ERCOT Staff Memo to PUC re: Reliability Standard for the ERCOT Market

April 2021 – ERCOT

February 2021 Extreme Weather Event

November 2021 – FERC & NERC

The February 2021 Cold Weather Outages in Texas and the South Central US

July 2021 - The University of Texas Energy Institute

The Timeline and Events of the February 2021 Texas Electric Grid Blackouts

February 2022 – Rice University Baker Institute for Public Policy

ERCOT Froze in February 2021. What Happened? Why Did It Happen? Can It Happen Again?

February 2021 - ERCOT

Presentation to Joint Texas Legislative Hearings by Bill Magness

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