After extreme cold events in 1989 and 2011, Texas was warned to winterize power plants — but many still froze in the latest storms

By Kelsey Vlamis

• Millions of Texans lost power this week as extreme winter weather shut down power plants.
• The event was not unprecedented, as Texas power plants have been disrupted by cold weather before.
• Following disruptions in 2011, federal regulators again warned Texas to winterize its power plants.

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Fast forward to this week, when severe winter storms again disrupted Texas's power plants, causing millions to go without power for several days.

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The authors of the report also determined that, while especially severe, the 2011 cold event was not without precedent. They found there had been several instances of severe cold weather impacting power prior to 2011, particularly in 1989.

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In the report's key findings, the authors said the lack of any direct requirement for power plants to winterize "left winter-readiness dependent on plant or corporate choices."

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