More than two million people lost power in Texas this week due to record low temperatures and the state-wide winter storm. The freezing temperatures reduced generating capacity and the demand for power and natural gas to keep homes warm overwhelmed the system. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) operates the electric grid that serves the majority of the state. Officials said they took winterization precautions, but that the cold was more extreme than their systems could handle.
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG
Find more from PBS NewsHour at https://www.pbs.org/newshour
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us:
Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/newshour
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/newshour
Subscribe:
PBS NewsHour podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts
Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe
