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Insights > Winter ready: Entergy Texas prepared for colder months ahead
Winter ready: Entergy Texas prepared for colder months ahead
12/20/2023
Cooler temps have become more frequent across Texas, but warmer weather is expected over the holidays and into the new year. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, La Niña returns for the third consecutive year and as a result, we can expect warmer-than-average temperatures for parts of the South, including areas along the Gulf Coast.
Even in parts of the state where extremely cold temperatures are somewhat rare, it's still important to be prepared for freezing and inclement weather, which can move in quickly. While weather can be unpredictable, and each season comes with its own set of surprises, we remain storm ready.
Monitoring MISO grid conditions
While most of Texas lies in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Entergy Texas, along with a few other utilities in Southeast Texas, operates in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (or MISO) power grid. MISO is one of the nation’s largest regional transmission organizations, comprising a pool of electricity generators and users that stretches across 15 states from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. MISO, like other grid operators, routinely assesses its readiness to maintain reliable grid operations during periods of peak electricity usage, like the summer and winter. MISO has completed its readiness assessment for this winter and anticipates having enough resources to manage normal conditions during the wintertime months, understanding that there is always the potential for an extreme weather event to impact the grid.
Entergy Texas plans and prepares year-round to provide reliable power during potentially challenging operating conditions, like the triple-digit temperatures our area experienced this summer. As we near the official start of winter on December 21, Entergy Texas will continue to monitor the reliability of our electric system and keep customers informed if grid conditions change.
Entergy Texas is prepared for winter weather
These are just a few of the measures we’ve taken in advance of the winter season to help ensure we are prepared to provide reliable power during extreme temperatures:
- Insulating critical power plant equipment using improved methods and materials that allow them to withstand lower temperatures.
- Insulating or draining piping with potential for standing water during normal operation, to prevent freezing and breaks.
- Exploring different technology to monitor temperatures of critical equipment.
- Inspecting and maintaining substations and transmission lines that are critical to Bulk Electric System reliability.
- Inspecting and testing equipment that can be impacted by extreme cold such as gas-filled circuit breakers.
- Ensuring the readiness of assets that provide electric service to critical gas infrastructure and other points of delivery that are vital to support generation reliability and resiliency.
- Completing annual clearing of right-of-way areas to minimize the impact from fallen trees or branches following a storm
Customers should prepare for winter, too
Being prepared can help keep you safe. Get ready before weather threatens your area by having an emergency plan in place. Find safekeeping resources on our Storm Center:
- Get prepared: Make a plan, make a kit.
- Prepare your home: Winterize inside and out.
- Your mobile phone: A lifeline during a disaster.
- Stay informed: Download the app, report an outage.
- Stay safe: Safety after the storm.
- Generator safety: Know the hazards.
- Gas safety: Know the signs.
- Extreme cold safety: Indoor and outdoor tips.
Verify your contact information in your online myEntergy account before severe weather strikes, so you receive our notifications. If a storm impacts your area, you can report an outage quickly and easily through our digital options – using either our free mobile app, online at myEntergy.com, or by texting OUT to 36778.
