Recent events in Texas have shown that even the nation’s top energy producer is not safe from adverse weather conditions. Around 90 per cent of Texas is powered by its Texas-only power grid, operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT.

The grid was badly hit in February by three consecutive storms. This meant that most of Texas was unable to receive power from other grids in other states, which are interconnected and can draw from each other when necessary. This resulted in power, food, and water shortages for millions across the state.

Weather like this is extremely rare for Texas, meaning it was not overly prepared to deal with cold weather that caused wind turbines and natural gas equipment to freeze.

The likelihood of this happening again is unknown, however with climate change, there is a growing risk that such events will increase in frequency and severity, meaning solutions need to be found to mitigate or prevent large-scale damage occurring in future.