Cold weather-related equipment failures were to blame for power problems that included rolling blackouts in Texas and other southwestern states in February, according to a report released by regulators.
The six-month study of the early February incidents, done by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, concluded that a majority of the electric outages and natural gas shortages were due to weather-related causes.
Power generators and gas producers have winterization procedures they use to prepare for cold weather, but the measures were generally reactive and should be strengthened, the report said. It also noted there are no state, regional or federal standards for winterization of equipment.
The report recommends that states in the Southwest examine whether to require winterization plans, that power plants owners and operators should ensure adequate construction, maintenance and inspection of freeze protection equipment.
The report also recommends lawmakers and regulators in Texas and New Mexico work with the natural gas industry to find ways to avoid shortages that may occur when production and transport equipment is impacted by cold weather.
Dan Jones, ERCOT independent market monitor, previously concluded there was no market manipulation behind the February incident.
In other recommendations, the report said:
- Generation owners and operators should ensure adequate construction, maintenance and inspection of freeze protection elements such as insulation, heat tracing and wind breaks.
- Reliability coordinators and balancing authorities should require generators to provide accurate data about the temperature limits of units so they know whether they can rely on those units during extreme weather.
- State lawmakers and regulators in Texas and New Mexico, working with industry, should determine if weather-related production shortages can be mitigated through the adoption of minimum winterization standards for natural gas production and processing facilities.
Just because a unit can operate with no problems at zero does not mean that all will be well the first hard freeze of the winter. No matter how good your winterization check list, the true 100% test is the first freeze.
Worked in a plant that operated just fine one winter down to 15 below. The first hard freeze the following year, steam drum level sensor freeze off shut the entire facility down and severely damaged some equipment.
Unfortunate fact of life. Hard to check how something will below below 32 when it is 60.
Contrary Dave is telling you the truth.
Sometimes it is the Boiler feed Water Flow meter and/or Control Valve. It always amazes me when people fooling around with water and steam don’t HAVE steam tracing or don’t bother to turn it on.
My plant had a product that “popsickled” at about 70 degrees… the stuff made ice in the check valves of the dormant pumps. I started checking Steam tracing and Steam Traps in October and got it all working… so it always made me a little mad to have to shut down because some fool who had 600# Steam available (!) shut us down because their feed water instrumentation froze while they were sitting on their donkey in the Control Room in December or January.
what winter x mas 82 or winter 86 or 88 longer times below frez. only one sensor on pumps ya right truth is loss of Operators who did freeze protection we use to pop safetys then drop gas to hold plants on line when temps where below frez for over 72 hours all the way down to houston ever here of a yarway or bullseye to check levels try running super critical during a freeze and keeping on load control.