American Council on Renewable Energy Marks One Year Anniversary of Winter Storm Uri
"One year ago, Texans were failed by a balkanized electrical grid that could not withstand increasingly severe extreme weather events. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and millions were left without power for days in frigid conditions. To make our grid more reliable, and minimize the potential for reoccurrence of such tragedies, we need to make long-overdue investments to upgrade and expand our nation's power grid."
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- One year after Winter Storm Uri caused widespread blackouts across Texas, leaving millions without power, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) President and CEO Gregory Wetstone issued the following statement:
"One year ago, Texans were failed by a balkanized electrical grid that could not withstand increasingly severe extreme weather events. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and millions were left without power for days in frigid conditions. To make our grid more reliable, and minimize the potential for reoccurrence of such tragedies, we need to make long-overdue investments to upgrade and expand our nation's power grid. In fact, studies show that each gigawatt of new transmission capacity connecting the Texas power grid with neighboring states could have saved nearly $1 billion and kept the heat on for approximately 200,000 Texas homes. It is long past time to strengthen our grid and make sure consumers have reliable access to the electricity they need. The benefits of building a 21st century transmission system far outweigh the cost," said ACORE President and CEO Gregory Wetstone
ACORE also published a blog post today, reflecting on the one-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri and evaluating policy responses to the disaster. Click HERE to read "One Year Later: Winter Storm Uri"
"While the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has enacted important new winterization requirements for power plants, the Commission must also consider the costs and benefits of increased transmission in the state as well as increased coordination with other power regions," wrote ACORE Policy Manager Daniel Wolf. "The installation of interregional transmission ties should be at the top of the PUCT's list.
In July 2021, ACORE released a report, Transmission Makes the Power System Resilient to Extreme Weather, detailing the value additional transmission would have provided during five severe weather events between 2014 and 2021, including Winter Storm Uri.
Media Contact
Blake McCarren, American Council on Renewable Energy, 2023930001, [email protected]
SOURCE American Council on Renewable Energy
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