TEXAS, USA — Thousands of West Texans are still in the dark Tuesday morning as temperatures hover in the teens.
As of 7:30 a.m., the Oncor outage map showed 50,000 without power between Midland and Odessa.
Oncor expects Tuesday's power situation to mirror Monday.
"Due to ongoing record-low temperatures and generation, ERCOT has continued to direct Oncor and utilities across the state to drop power load through maintained controlled outages. These controlled outages are occurring across the state and the entire Oncor service territory. Oncor was able to rotate some outages overnight, but poor grid conditions have continued to prevent us and other utilities from rotating, or rolling, the entirety of these outages, leading to extended periods without power for many of our customers," in a statement released by Oncor.
At this time, ERCOT is unable to predict when grid conditions will stabilize, and urge all customers to be prepared for extended outages to continue.
ERCOT first ordered the controlled outages late Sunday night as extreme weather rolled through Texas. As those began, multiple electric generating plants started shutting down. ERCOT says their equipment simply froze up and could not produce enough energy to rotate outages every 15-45min as first reported.
Oncor says power grid conditions have not recovered much by Tuesday morning.
"We also urge customers to prioritize the safety of themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors," Oncor wrote.
Tips to stay warm during power outages include: closing blinds and curtains and closing room doors to help contain heat, and stuffing towels in the cracks under doors can help keep the warmth in. Many local counties have also opened warming stations or shelters, which can be located online or by calling 211.
"We recognize the hardships and extreme frustration customers without power face during these historical low temperatures and are ready to deliver power as soon as electric generators are able to provide it. As soon as enough generation is available, we will return to a regular cadence of rotating outages with the goal of providing any temporary relief that we can for those who have been without power the longest," Oncor wrote.
State law makers are now getting involved. "I’ve been trying to get answers from ERCOT about a timeline for power restoration, but it has been difficult getting them," local Rep. Brooks Landgraf said. "We can all agree that this is a very rare occurrence, but our grid and our state’s policies need to account for a situation like this. I will do my part to exercise that type of oversight."
Oncor says crews will continue to work Tuesday restoring equipment damaged by the winter storm.
"We have relocated crews, including mutual assistance contractors from out of state, from areas with limited damage to areas with more damage to make repairs as quickly and safely as possible. We are closely watching the coming winter storm that is forecast for Tuesday night and Wednesday to ensure that we have the needed resources to address any damage from the storm," Oncor wrote in a Tuesday morning update.
