Abbott issues statement as ERCOT says it has stopped controlled outages

Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference Thursday vowing to take steps to get answers on what led to massive failures in the power system that left millions without power in the state after the recent winter storm. Abbott said, “What happened this week to our fellow Texans is unacceptable and cannot be replicated again.”

According to Abbott, since Wednesday, two million people have had power restored, leaving 325,000 people in the state without power as of Thursday. The governor said that most of the remaining issues are caused by the storm, not because of issues stemming from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ grid management.

Abbott said, “We hope and anticipate no location will be without power tonight, and every available repair truck has been dispatched to help fix power issues caused by the ice storm.”

Abbott says that he is currently working on waivers and executive orders to help, and has met with organizations to brainstorm ideas and action plans to get more power and water.

On Thursday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, provided an update saying it has stopped mandating controlled outages and that local utility companies can work to bring power back online.

ERCOT has come under fire from lawmakers because of a lack of preparedness and the fact that five of its recently elected members do not live in Texas.

The National Weather Forecast predicts the final round of winter weather moving through the Texas Hill Country Thursday night.