The answer is a lot more, because it’d come with an entirely different regulatory framework.
People like to shit on Texas’s grid because of what happened in 2021, but grid reliability is frankly an issue everywhere in the US. 2021 was the only time in recent memory Texas’s entire grid suffered a severe supply problem due to what was winter weather the likes of which we really had never seen before, all other outages that hit the news and spur “Texas grid” commentary have been localized and related to mechanical damage due to weather (e.g. severe wind or ice downing trees)
The story we’re commenting on talks about all the steps that have been taken to increase grid reliability in Texas from the state level to the individual home level
This is a High Voltage Direct Current line, which can pass power between interconnects despite their mismatched phasing. There are already 5 of these in Texas, two connecting the Texas Interconnect to the Eastern Interconnect and three connecting Texas to the Mexican Interconnect.
At 3,000 MW, this new HVDC line to the Eastern Interconnect will have the highest capacity of these by a significant margin, but HVDCs connect every adjacent interconnect in North America and don’t mean the interconnects are “connected” in the sense that they’re functioning as one interconnect. The Texas Interconnect will not be subject to any change in its regulatory framework with the addition of this HVDC. I’m glad the Biden Admin is adding additional HVDCs around the country, including Texas, with this Act.
And make no mistake that power flows both ways through the HVDCs connected to Texas depending on the needs of each region.
The answer is a lot more, because it’d come with an entirely different regulatory framework.
People like to shit on Texas’s grid because of what happened in 2021, but grid reliability is frankly an issue everywhere in the US. 2021 was the only time in recent memory Texas’s entire grid suffered a severe supply problem due to what was winter weather the likes of which we really had never seen before, all other outages that hit the news and spur “Texas grid” commentary have been localized and related to mechanical damage due to weather (e.g. severe wind or ice downing trees)
People shit on the Texas grid because of stories like the one you’re commenting on.
Also, if they did join the national grid, the cost would probably be paid for by the GOP Congress, using tax money from the blue states.
The story we’re commenting on talks about all the steps that have been taken to increase grid reliability in Texas from the state level to the individual home level
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2024/10/04/texas--grid-is-closer-to-being-connected-to-the-u-s--grid
If you don’t want to click the link, the Biden administration is spending tax payer money to join Texas to the First World.
This is a High Voltage Direct Current line, which can pass power between interconnects despite their mismatched phasing. There are already 5 of these in Texas, two connecting the Texas Interconnect to the Eastern Interconnect and three connecting Texas to the Mexican Interconnect.
At 3,000 MW, this new HVDC line to the Eastern Interconnect will have the highest capacity of these by a significant margin, but HVDCs connect every adjacent interconnect in North America and don’t mean the interconnects are “connected” in the sense that they’re functioning as one interconnect. The Texas Interconnect will not be subject to any change in its regulatory framework with the addition of this HVDC. I’m glad the Biden Admin is adding additional HVDCs around the country, including Texas, with this Act.
And make no mistake that power flows both ways through the HVDCs connected to Texas depending on the needs of each region.