Important Takeaways:

• Repairing electricity infrastructure after storms usually costs customers. So could strengthening it before the next weather event.
• Many times, thousands of Texans sit in the dark for days — in either the blistering heat or frigid cold — waiting for utility crews to survey and fix the damage so electricity can start flowing again.
• Such power outages are likely to continue.
• Texas had 210 weather-related power outages — more than any other state — from 2000 to 2023, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Climate Central that used power outage data from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Texas is the only state to have its own power grid.
• Last year, the Legislature made it possible for utility companies to create plans to strengthen their systems. In many cases, those costs would be charged to power providers that sell power, which would then likely pass the costs to customers.
• The costs to make the system more resilient will likely be passed on to Texans. But, so, too might the costs to repair damage to utility companies’ infrastructure in the immediate aftermath of an extreme weather event.

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