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What happened in the February 2021 Texas winter storm?

By the editors of Moria Media  ·  Updated

Short answer

In February 2021, extreme cold knocked out power plants and natural gas supplies across Texas, and ERCOT ordered rolling blackouts that left more than 4.5 million people without power, some for days [1]. The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 246 storm-related deaths [2]. Lawmakers then required weatherization and restructured ERCOT's board [3][4].

What happened to the grid

A federal review by staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and regional entities covered a cold-weather event lasting from Feb. 8 to 20, 2021 [1]. Across Texas and the South Central United States, 1,045 generating units experienced 4,124 outages, reductions in output or failures to start [1]. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which runs most of the state's grid, averaged 34,000 megawatts of generation outages for more than two consecutive days during the week of Feb. 14, nearly half its 2021 all-time winter peak load of 69,871 megawatts [1].

ERCOT began ordering rolling blackouts early on Feb. 15 and shed up to 20,000 megawatts of demand at the worst point [1][6]. The report calls the event the largest controlled firm load shed in U.S. history [1]. A University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute report, as quoted by KPRC, found grid frequency stayed below a critical threshold for four minutes and 23 seconds that morning, close to the nine minutes that could have triggered a much larger blackout [6]. ERCOT ended rolling blackouts and returned to normal operations on Feb. 19 [6].

Why the power plants failed

The federal report found that 75.6% of the unplanned outages, derates and failures to start were caused by freezing issues (44.2%) or fuel issues (31.4%) [1]. By fuel type, 58% of the affected units were natural gas-fired, 27% wind, 6% coal and 2% solar [1]. ERCOT also had limited ability to import power: its ties to other grids can carry at most 1,220 megawatts [1].

The official death toll

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) confirmed 246 winter storm-related deaths in its final report, dated Dec. 31, 2021, with data current as of Oct. 27, 2021 [2]. The deaths occurred in 77 counties between Feb. 11 and June 4, 2021 [2]. Hypothermia caused 158 deaths; other causes included worsened pre-existing illness (25), motor vehicle crashes (22), carbon monoxide poisoning (19) and fires (10) [2]. DSHS counted a death only when a medical certifier verified it as storm-related [2].

Counts differ by source and date. DSHS had reported 210 deaths in July 2021 [5]. In May 2021, BuzzFeed News estimated the true toll was likely four or five times the state's count at the time, which was 151, as reported by The Texas Tribune [5].

Reforms passed afterward

In 2021, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 3, which requires power generators and transmission facilities to prepare for extreme weather, limits the natural gas requirement to facilities regulators deem critical, and calls for an emergency alert system for power outages [3]. The governor's office said the laws require inspections by the Railroad Commission and ERCOT, set penalties of up to $1 million for failing to weatherize, and create a Texas Energy Reliability Council [4]. Senate Bill 2 shrank ERCOT's board from 16 seats to 11, with eight members chosen by a selection committee [3]. Both were signed June 8, 2021 [4].

In 2023, Senate Bill 2627 created the Texas Energy Fund, administered by the Public Utility Commission, to offer loans and completion bonuses for new dispatchable power plants [7]. Voters approved the fund in November 2023, and lawmakers initially set aside $5 billion for 3% loans [8].

Common questions

How many people died in the 2021 Texas winter storm?
The Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed 246 storm-related deaths in its final report [2]. Other estimates have been higher [5].
How many Texans lost power?
The FERC-NERC report says more than 4.5 million people in Texas lost power [1]. The Texas Tribune reported at least 4.8 million homes and businesses [3].
Did frozen wind turbines cause the blackouts?
Wind units were 27% of affected generating units; natural gas-fired units were 58% [1].
Does Texas now require power plants to winterize?
Yes. Senate Bill 3 (2021) requires weatherization of generation, transmission and critical natural gas facilities [3][4].

Sources

  1. The February 2021 Cold Weather Outages in Texas and the South Central United States, FERC, NERC and Regional Entity Staff, 2021-11
  2. February 2021 Winter Storm-Related Deaths – Texas, Texas Department of State Health Services, 2021-12-31
  3. Texas Legislature approves bills to require power plants to "weatherize," among other measures to overhaul electric grid, The Texas Tribune, 2021-05-26
  4. Governor Abbott Signs ERCOT Reforms, Power Grid Weatherization Legislation Into Law, Office of the Texas Governor, 2021-06-08
  5. Texas puts final estimate of winter storm death toll at 246, The Texas Tribune, 2022-01-02
  6. Timeline: Inside the 2021 winter storm power crisis, KPRC Click2Houston, 2022-02-15
  7. Bill Analysis, S.B. 2627 (Enrolled), 88th Legislature, Texas Senate Research Center, 2023-06-12
  8. Texas to double $5 billion state fund aimed at expanding the power grid, The Texas Tribune, 2024-07-01