Today’s LiveWire Spotlight examines the long awaited joint FERC/ERO Enterprise Report on the causes of 4,124 generator outages, derates, or start-up failures in Texas and the south-central U.S. during last February’s severe weather event. The joint team attributes 65% of the unit failures to mechanical issues and the extreme cold, which froze wind turbine blades, sensor tracings, water lines, and other equipment needed to sustain operations. They follow with 28 recommendations with major implications to near-term and longer-term reliability expectations of both the electricity and natural gas infrastructures during extreme weather.
The initial SAR for Project 2021-07: Extreme Cold Weather Grid Operations, Preparedness, and Coordination was posted concurrently with the report for a 30-day review period. It looks to implement nine of the twenty-eight joint report recommendations – five of them before Winter 2022/2023; the remainder a year after that. Comments must be returned to the SAR drafting team by December 21, 2021.