Winter storm Uri was on the minds of many Texans as last week’s storm impacted North Texas, and while there were reports of power outages and felled trees, the winter weather did not pummel the state as it did a year ago.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas released a statement before the storm last Wednesday that several reforms were implemented to increase the grid’s reliability, including inspecting the weatherization of facilities to ensure they meet new Public Utility Commission guidelines, requiring CEO attestation of weather readiness, a conservative approach to operating the grid, assessing on-site fuel supplies and performing unannounced testing of generation resources.

The city’s website posted resources about reporting power outages and how to prevent pipes freezing earlier last week to help residents mitigate potential hazards caused by winter weather.

As the temperatures dropped, all indications were that the Texas power grid would meet demand. However, before the rain turned to ice, power outages were reported the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 2 and the power remained out for several hours.

Princeton resident John Kanelis said the outages were widespread. He said he lost power around 10:30 p.m. last Wednesday night.

“The lights flickered back on after about an hour for two minutes and then went out again,” Kanelis said. “It [power] came on for keeps about 4 a.m.”

Kanelis said his electricity provider is Reliant Energy, who buys power from Texas New Mexico Power.

Most power outages in the state last week were caused by ice buildups on transformers or tree falling across powerlines and some communities were impacted more than others.

For the full story, see the Feb. 10 issue of the Princeton Herald.