ERCOT: We were ready for Nicholas

Tens of thousands of Texans were left without power by Nicholas, which entered the state as a hurricane before being reduced to tropical storm and finally tropical depression as it swept its way east.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it was well-prepared for the storm. It said it was doing all it could to “maintain reliability in the face of rain, winds and potential flooding.

“The Texas power grid has maintained reliability,” according to a Tuesday, Sept. 14, statement to Houston Daily from ERCOT. “There were no ERCOT grid outage events as a result of Hurricane Nicholas. All of the outages were due to storm damage on local transmission and distribution service provider equipment.”

It advised people seeking information on outages to contact their local electric provider.

Nicholas was downgraded to a tropical storm as dawn approached Tuesday, but it hit Texas as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda, Texas, at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. By nightfall, it was classified as a tropical depression.

ERCOT manages the power flow for more than 26 million Texans, or 90% of residents. As Nicholas approached, it reduced planned maintenance-related outages along the Gulf Coast, and told power companies to implement emergency procedures.

“Any power outages caused by the storm will most likely be at the local distribution level,” ERCOT reported. “Local outages can be caused by factors ranging from high winds toppling power poles to tree limbs falling on power lines. Residents and businesses experiencing power outages should contact their local electric service providers to report those outages and receive updates on restoration times. 

Initial reports on Nicholas started to be issued last week, as the 2021 hurricane season continues.

On Sept. 13, Gov. Greg Abbott urged caution, warning of a “substantial water event” that would likely include “flooding and potential damage caused by the rainfall.” Tornadoes also were possible.

A state disaster declaration was issued Sept. 13, including 17 counties: Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio and Victoria. Additional counties will be added if needed.

“Texans throughout the Gulf Coast should prepare now for the impact of Tropical Storm Nicholas, which is expected to bring severe rain and flooding to these communities,” Abbott said. “The state of Texas is working closely with officials on the ground to provide the resources and support needed to keep our communities safe, but it is up to all Texans in the path of this storm to take precautions, heed the guidance of officials, and remain vigilant as this severe weather moves through Texas.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said between 4 to 7 inches of rain were forecast, and that heavy rain, along with high winds, could lead to local outages. In fact, that was the case, as more than 300,000 area residents were without power early Tuesday.

With plans in place, local agencies encouraged people to remain home. Both the Houston Independent School District and Galveston Independent School District called off classes for Tuesday.

Houston’s William P. Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental airports canceled more than 300 incoming and outgoing flights, and Port Houston closed all its terminals.

Brent Bennett, the policy director for Life:Powered, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told Austin Journal that ERCOT is doing as expected in this situation.

“This is less of an ERCOT problem and more of a problem for the transmission and distribution providers in the area,” Bennett said. “People need to remember the difference between the power going out due to downed or compromised power lines (very common even in the absence of big storms) and power outages due to a lack of electricity supply or sudden fluctuations in grid frequency (not very common).”

He said there was sufficient electric supply, so once lines were repaired, power would be restored. That wasn’t the case with Winter Storm Uri in February, but thankfully, Nicholas wasn’t as ugly as Uri.

Austin-based energy analyst Bill Peacock said passing storms aren’t a major concern. Reliable sources of power are, he said.

“Electric grids are always going to have outages due to weather,” Peacock told Houston Daily. “The primary reliability problem Texas faces isn't weather or grid management, it is the growing presence of intermittent renewable generation.”