AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference Wednesday at the State Operations Center in Austin ahead of the severe winter weather that is expected to impact the state of Texas this week.
Abbott was joined by the Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Public Utility Commission Chairman Peter Lake, Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Pablo Vegas, Texas Department of Transportation Director Marc Williams, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Emily Lindley, and Railroad Commission of Texas Commissioner Jim Wright.
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Abbott said state leaders will have access to assist at a local level to deal with the hard weather. He said the good thing is, Texas does not expect much precipitation during the freeze and most areas will have sunshine with cold temperatures.
The governor also addressed the concerns on the Texas power grid.
PUC Chairman Peter Lake said the power grid will remain up and running robustly. He noted that the grid is ready and reliable to meet demands throughout the weather event. Reforms have been made to prioritize people over profit.
Lake said mobile generators are ready to go and that they have every generator in the state of Texas ready to go if needed. He also ensured that the grid is reliable. PUC and ERCOT officials will continue to make reforms to the grid to keep up with the times.
ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas also said staff is working around the clock and have efficient generators. They have also issued a watch for weather readiness and have market participates prepared for Thursday evening through Saturday morning.
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