Winter Storm Uri and the ERCOT collapse (2021)
A deep freeze knocked out much of Texas power generation. ERCOT ordered rolling blackouts that left millions without heat for days, and hundreds died. The grid came minutes from a much longer, uncontrolled collapse.
The PUCT's chair and ERCOT's CEO resigned, and the legislature passed a package of grid reforms.
Reliability became the dominant test for any grid decision in Texas, giving regulators political cover to act aggressively.
Uri is why Texas officials now treat huge new loads as a reliability question first. The audit reflects a grid still wary of promising power it may not have.
