A $60 million federal fund for Texas power grid improvements will be utilized to strengthen the infrastructure following the 2021 Texas winter storm’s damages and casualties.
In 2021, power grid operators were forced to cut the provision of electricity in the state, resulting in hundreds of Texans’ deaths due to the unavailability of electricity to heat homes during the freezing weather. Texas legislators later addressed this issue by providing power generators to better prepare for such occurrences however, recent storms and extreme weather have exposed the vulnerabilities of Texas’ transmission system, particularly its power grid.
The said power generators are not enough to power the entire state therefore Texas power grid improvements are much needed to effectively eliminate such problems.
Before the Texas power grid improvements were in the talks, grid resilience has become one of the priorities for Texans following a series of incidents where electricity was interrupted affecting lives greatly. In Austin, and various parts of the state, electricity was cut-off due to tree limbs weighing down power lines. Severe storms also took out power lines in East Texas last month.
And accidents like this will keep happening as the winter season gets near. Thankfully, Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Energy granted the $60 million fund for Texas power grid improvements through Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to Jennifer Granholm, secretary of Energy, “the said grant will help to modernize the electric grids for better impact reduction when extreme weather and natural disasters will occur while also enhancing power sector reliability.”
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is the one responsible for the said fund, the cost breakdown for the Texas power grid improvements will come from their decisions and plans but they remained tight-lipped.
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WHAT TO EXPECT in TEXAS POWER GRID IMPROVEMENTS?
Texas power grid improvements will encapsulate programs such as trimming trees around power lines, and the improvement of equipment function when exposed to extreme heat or cold, according to state emergency officials. But then again these are just examples of the programs underlying Texas power grid improvements. TDEM did not yet release an official statement about this matter.