MEDIA
MEDIA TALKING TO PEOPLE AND HEARING THEIR STORIES.
IT IS REALLY SAD AND DOWNRIGHT
COLD.
COLD.
COLD. >>
COLD. >> Reporter: YOUR HEART BREAKS
FOR THEM.
FOR THEM.
FOR THEM. YOU FEEL GUILTY ALMOST IF YOU
DO HAVE POWER BECAUSE SO MANY
PEOPLE DON'T.
PEOPLE DON'T. A LOT OF FOLKS ARE ASKING WHY.
WE ARE PROUD OF THE FACT THAT
WE ARE ENERGY INDEPENDENT, WE
HAVE OUR VERY OWN GRID.
WE ARE THE LARGEST ENERGY
PRODUCING STATE IN THE COUNTRY,
LARGER THAN MANY COUNTRIES AS
WELL.
WELL.
WELL. HOW
WELL. HOW CAN WE NOT GET THROUGH A
WEEK OF BELOW FREEZING
TEMPERATURES.
TEMPERATURES. NOW WE WILL GO TO CHRIS.
THE DALLAS COUNTY JUDGE TWEETED
OUT NEW INFORMATION.
>> Reporter: WE GOT THOSE
TWEETS.
TWEETS.
TWEETS. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE
INFORMATION IN THE LAST HOUR OR
SO.
SO.
SO. IT
SO. IT WAS A SERIES OF TWEETS.
IN IT, COUNTY JUDGE CLAY JENKINS
SAID HE HAD A CALL WITH SENIOR
LEADERSHIP THE POWER GENERATION
INCREASE THAT THEY FORECAST
LAST NIGHT DID NOT HAPPEN.
DURING THE CALL, ERCOT DEMANDED
AN ADDITIONAL 500 MEGAWATTS BE
PULLED FROM TRANSMISSION
BRINGING THE TOTAL TO 18,500
MEGAWATTS SHED.
MEGAWATTS SHED. TO QUICKLY BREAK DOWN WHAT THAT
MEANS, IT MEANS THEY ARE TAKING
PEOPLE OFF THE GRID TO TRY TO
BETTER BALANCE HOW THEY ARE
SUPPLYING THE DEMAND AND TRYING
TO DO IT MORE STRATEGICALLY.
WE WANT THAT NUMBER TO GO DOWN,
NOT UP.
NOT UP.
NOT UP. HOW DID ALL OF THIS HAPPEN?
POWER PLANTS ARE NOT WINTERIZED
FOR THIS. THEY ARE NOT READY
FOR THIS KIND OF WINTER STORM.
THAT HELPS TO TRANSMIT ALL THAT
POWER IT FROZE AND STOPPED
WORKING.
WORKING.
WORKING. AND LEFT THE POWER SUPPLY ABOUT
34,000 MEGAWATTS SHORT.
ONE MEGAWATT CAN POWER ABOUT
500 HOMES.
500 HOMES. TO MAKE UP FOR IT, ERCOT FIRST
DIPPED INTO RESERVES AND THEN
THEY ASKED LARGE INDUSTRIAL
USERS TO VOLUNTARILY SHUT DOWN.
THAT STILL COULD NOT COVER THE
HIGH ENERGY DEMAND IN THE
WINTER STORM.
WINTER STORM. THE NEXT STEP WAS THE ROTATING
OUTAGES THAT THEY ARE NOW
CALLING CONTROLLED OUTAGES.
THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD LAST 15
TO 45 MINUTES.
OBVIOUSLY THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
SOME PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL
HOURS WITHOUT POWER ALL BECAUSE
OF POWER PLANTS NOT BEING
PREPARED FOR THIS TYPE OF COLD.
WE ALSO HAVE A DEREGULATED
SYSTEM IN TEXAS.
BY THE COMPANY'S ARE THE ONES
THAT OPERATE THE SYSTEM.
GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT SPOKE LAST
NIGHT AND SAID, WITH STATE
LAWMAKERS CURRENTLY IN SESSION
THAT SYSTEM WILL GET A CRITICAL
LOOK.
LOOK.
LOOK. >>
LOOK. >> WHAT WE HAVE IS A
DEREGULATED SYSTEM.
DEREGULATED SYSTEM. THE VIEWERS CAN CONTRACT WITH A
COMPANY TO PROVIDE POWER AND
THAT POWER COMPANY RELIES ON A
GENERATOR TO GENERATE THE POWER.
THEN IT GOES THROUGH THE
PRIVATE SECTOR.
PRIVATE SECTOR. THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION WILL BE
LOOKING AT THAT SYSTEM TO SEE
IF IT NEEDS SOME TYPE OF BACKUP
SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT IF
POWER COMPANIES DO FAIL IN THE
GENERATION OF POWER THERE WILL
BE ANOTHER SOURCE OF POWER
AVAILABLE FOR THEM.
>> Reporter: WE HAVE HAD
ROTATING OUTAGES IN 1989 AND
2011.
2011.
2011. THE
2011. THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
AFTER THAT 2011 STORM
RECOMMENDED WINTERIZING THE
POWER PLANTS BUT IT WAS NOT
MANDATED.
MANDATED.
MANDATED. IT WAS SEEN AS A COSTLY EXPENSE
FOR SOMETHING THAT RARELY
HAPPENS.
HAPPENS.
HAPPENS. OF COURSE, NOW WE ARE SUFFERING
IN THE MOMENT AND IT LOOKS LIKE
AN EASY DECISION TO GO BACK AND
UPDATE THE POWERPLANTS.
WE EXPECT TO SPEAK TO CLAY
JENKINS HERE SOMETIME THIS
MORNING.
MORNING.
MORNING. WE HOPE TO HAVE HIM STREAMING
ON FACEBOOK SO DEFINITELY TUNE
IN TO CHANNEL 8 AT MIDDAY AND
WE WILL HAVE AN UPDATE AND ASK
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE THE
SITUATION IS GOING AND ASK MORE
ABOUT THAT CALL THAT HE HAD
WITH THE ERCOT CEO AND
LEADERSHIP THERE.