As parts of the state recover from Hurricane Beryl’s impact, recent data shows that Texas remains at the forefront in terms of weather-related power outages across the country.
A study by Climate Central released earlier this year shows just how vulnerable Texas truly is during severe weather events. It revealed that the state experienced 210 weather-related power outages from 2000 to 2023.
This number easily beats out any other state in the country.
According to the study, Michigan placed second with 157 weather-related outages, California third at 145, and North Carolina fourth with 111.
The study’s findings also paint a concerning picture for the future of Texas’ electricity grid, which has repeatedly faltered under the pressures of recent hurricanes, winter freezes, and heat waves.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick spoke last month on the urgent need to strengthen the Texas Energy Fund.
“With the new projections for 2030, we will seek to expand the program to $10 billion to build more new plants as soon as possible… Texas is currently the fastest state to approve and build new plants and transmission lines because of our low regulations and pro-business policies, but we must move quickly,” said Abbott.
The most recent bout of outages in Dallas was triggered by severe storms on May 28. Over 600,000 ONCOR customers were left without power in what was the company’s second-worst outage in its century-long history, according to the Dallas Observer. Some Dallas residents spent nearly a week in darkness.
Hurricane Beryl’s passage through Houston earlier this month further demonstrated the energy grid’s weakness. Damage caused by heavy winds threw 35,000 CenterPoint customers into excessively prolonged outages. Following the hurricane’s first day of landfall in Texas, nearly 87% of CenterPoint’s 2.6 million customers were left without electricity in Houston.
Tensions have boiled over amid the company’s inability to restore power, as demonstrated by the recent arrest of a man for allegedly pointing a gun at a CenterPoint lineman in the Fort Bend area of Houston, according to ABC 13.
The governor has also delivered scornful remarks about the company.
“CenterPoint has completely dropped the ball with regard to getting power back on. To help Texans in the Greater Houston area and to avoid a repeat of unacceptable power outages, I will give CenterPoint until the end of the month to provide my office with specific actions to address power outages and reduce the possibility that power will be lost during a severe weather event,” said Abbott at a press conference last week.
In response to escalating energy demands nationwide, many experts are calling for urgent action to modernize the country’s entire electricity infrastructure.
“The nation’s electrical grid wasn’t built for the present-day climate,” the Climate Central study stated.
Another area where Texas continues to lead the nation is in economic losses from weather disasters.
According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Texas suffered over $370 billion in damages from extreme weather events between 2000 and 2023, more than any other state, including Florida.