Abbott confident the power grid is ready for arctic front

Governor Greg Abbott encouraged all Texans to stay home during a press conference Friday.

Abbott says that the arctic front will be “one of the coldest episodes we have all been through,” but there are two things that make this cold snap different from the 2021 winter storm.  Firstly, it won’t last as long.  Secondly, the power grid and its generators are more prepared.

“They have never been as prepared for a winter event as they are today, including having a secondary source of fuel available to make sure that they will not lose access to fuel the power generation that’s needed to send throughout the entire grid to make sure that you’re going to be able to heat your home,” Abbott said.  ERCOT says its fuel and gas supply is also fully stocked and ready to use.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management is warning people to never heat their home in dangerous ways, such as running a generator inside your home or running your car inside your garage with the door closed.

The state has deployed all of its warming centers for this weekend and early next week.  There are currently 152 warming center locations in Texas with more expected to open in the next few days.  A map with the full list of locations can be found on the Texas Department of Emergency Management’s website.