Texas governor vows to fix state's electric grid
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Wednesday promised to overhaul the state’s electric power grid after rolling blackouts left residents without heat, power or water in a deadly winter storm last week.
"For those of you still hurting, I want you to know the state is using every possible resource to fix this problem. Many of you are angry and you have a right to be. I'm angry too. At a time when essential services were needed the most, the system broke.”
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, distributes power to nearly 90 percent of the state’s population.
It’s faced sharp criticism for failing to preparefor severe cold when power outages caused billions of dollars of damage and left dozens dead.
In Wednesday's broadcast address, Abbott blamed ERCOT.
“Before the storm hit, ERCOT repeatedly assured the state and the public that ERCOT was prepared. Those assurances turned out to be false… ERCOT must be overhauled.”
He added state officials are working on proposals to add more power to the electric grid.
Six ERCOT directors have resigned and a board nominee declined a seat in the wake of last week's crisis.
