A cold snap has begun to bear down on much of the country, presenting a major test for the nation's electric grids as Americans crank up the heat in record-breaking temperatures. A "tremendously impactful" winter storm will continue to hit the central and eastern regions of the U.S., with the National Weather Service predicting life-threatening wind chills in the Great Plains. The agency forecasts that every state in the Lower 48 will experience temperatures below 20 degrees by Christmas Eve. President Joe Biden called the extreme cold weather "dangerous and threatening" Thursday, telling folks to heed local warnings. "This is not like a snow day when you were a kid. This is serious stuff," he said. For some, the likely blizzard conditions and freezing temperatures are reminiscent of winters past — specifically February 2021, when extreme cold left millions without power for days in Texas and killed more than 200 people. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott assured his state this week that its electrical grid is "absolutely prepared" to meet demand this time around. The state's grid operator, ERCOT, said it has increased reliability since the power crisis by weatherizing power plants and transmission lines and by bringing more generation online sooner. But reasons exist to watch how the grid holds up — beyond the Lone Star State. Large swaths of the U.S. grid are not fully prepared for extreme cold weather, which means the U.S. is eyeing "unprecedented" reliability risks, as POLITICO reporter Catherine Morehouse wrote last month. The regions poised to see the most significant freezes this week — Texas, the Northeast and the Midwest — are also among the most at risk for power shortages. The North American Electric Reliability Corp., which monitors the reliability and security of the grid, warned last week that utilities and grid operators are not adequately planning for the retirement of coal, gas and nuclear power plants, posing a further threat to the nation's already strained grid infrastructure, POLITICO's E&E News reporter Peter Behr wrote at the time. That is especially true in the Midwest, where the Midcontinent Independent System Operator operates the bulk power grid across 15 states, including the upper Great Plains. MISO faces an increasing energy supply shortfall in periods of high demand — such as extreme weather — because it isn't replacing retiring coal and natural gas plants with enough new energy sources. New England has famously been close to the brink of blackouts every winter, Catherine told Power Switch, which may result in calls for increased fuel deliveries or requests for public conservation. Fossil fuel supporters, including leaders of the former Trump administration, have pointed to this predicament as a major reason not to abandon tried-and-true fossil fuel sources, like coal. But burning fossil fuels also contributes to more severe weather, and no resource is extreme weather-proof. In the case of Texas in 2021, equipment freezes meant gas power plants couldn't receive the fuel they needed. And in New England, the region's heavy reliance on natural gas, and relative lack of pipeline infrastructure, has bolstered calls to diversify the region's fuel mix, including through offshore wind and hydropower. It's Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Kelsey Tamborrino, momentarily taking the reins from the great Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.
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