Yves here. Aside from the shaky state of the electrical grid being of interest to readers in potentially or actually afflicted areas of the US, this story makes clear that loss of power is not just due to the “shit happens” of above-ground power lines meeting ice storms that break tree branches which then sever cables or damage transformers. It describes how cold snaps produce a surge in demand which systems that have suffered from decades of underinvestment cannot handle well. Another part of the problem is underinvestment in maintenance and understocking of transformers in utility inventories.
And the US grid is in decrepit state even as tech bros are rapidly ramping up demand to feed environmentally-destructive and intended-to-be-job-eating AI.
By Andrew Topf, a seasoned writer specializing in natural resource commodities who also has expertise in the oilfield services and heavy construction industries. Originally published at OilPrice
A winter wallop that delivered a blast of Arctic air to two-thirds of the United States last weekend brought with it power failures, partially due to snow, ice and falling trees or branches damaging power lines.
At least 35 deaths were reported, including three brothers between the ages of 6 and 9 who fell through an iced-over pond in Texas, and two people who were run over by snowplows in Massachusetts and Ohio.
The mega-storm reportedly caused blackouts to more than a million customers, especially in Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana.
As of Tuesday morning there were still 550,000 outages across the country, according to poweroutage.com, via CBC News, with most of them in the South, where weekend blasts of freezing rain caused tree limbs and power lines to snap, inflicting crippling outages on northern Mississippi and parts of Tennessee.
Officials warned that it could take days for power to be restored.
The largest regional grid, PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million people in the East and Mid-Atlantic, saw electricity prices soar above $3,000 per megawatt hour Saturday morning from earlier levels of less than $200 per MWh (Reuters)
On ISO New England, the grid for six states, spot prices hit nearly $600 per MWh, up sharply from Friday when they were below $100/MWh.
Reuters said that due to constricted gas supplies, regional grid operators asked coal and gas-fired power plants to boost output.
The winter storm was the biggest test for Texas since 2021, when an icy blast nearly caused a catastrophic regional blackout. More than 200 people died when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas lost about half of its generation capacity.
Reuters says Since then, stricter state and federal rules have been implemented to require better winter readiness by utilities and grid operators throughout the country.
Clearly though, it’s not enough. Power, water, sewer, and road/bridge infrastructure have been crumbling across the US for years. In 2025, the American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card graded the US electrical grid with a D+, down from a C- in 2021.
According to Critical Energy Infrastructure Services (CEIS), ASCE’s report cited a shortage of distribution transformers, severe weather events and lack of transmission capacity as some of the reasons for the low grade. The organization predicts the demand for electricity will grow from the 17 GW in 2022 to more than 35 GW in 2030.
It’s an alarm that has been raised for years, but the investment needed to bring everything up to date has not met the increasing demand.
Most power lines are over 30 years old and are designed to handle less electrical load. Almost 70% of transformers are more than 25 years old. The US experiences more outages than most developed countries.
An NBC News review of federal and state records, and internal utility documents, found that in five of the past 11 years, from 2024, parts of the US electrical grid have been hit by blackouts, shut-offs or close calls during cold weather.
CEIS notes the average home in 1970 used under 100 kwh of electricity annually. The service drop for most homes was at 100 amps. In 2025, the average home uses more than 10,000 kwh per year and the standard service drop is 200 amps.
The ASCE report says it would take at least $700 billion to modernize the grid.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, congestion on the PJM grid was expected to soar due to forecasted record winter power demand over the upcoming weekend. This again has led to a sharp rise in spot wholesale electricity prices, which have gone past $1,000 per megawatt this week.
PJM reportedly issued five warnings to utilities about potential power cuts related to transmission line problems. Reuters said Restricted natural gas supplies to power plants have also been a major factor in causing generator outages and boosting spot prices, according to analysts and PJM data.
PJM… forecasts more than 1,400 high-voltage lines would have restrictions on Thursday with disruptions averaging nearly 13 hours….
Before heavy snow and frigid temperatures hit the eastern U.S. last week, congestion on PJM’s transmission network affected only about 60 power lines with constraints lasting an average of about 4 hours, PJM data show…
PJM predicts electricity demand will rise to 148 gigawatts on Friday, setting an all-time record for winter.
Why is the US power grid so vulnerable to cold snaps? Those who have looked at this problem say the main culprit is natural gas dependency.
According to NBC News, natural gas since 2016 has become the dominant source of power for the US electrical grid, since it’s cheaper than coal and more efficient. In 2024 natural gas provided 43% of the country’s electricity.
But cold-weather events are putting multiple stresses on the gas supply. The stresses threaten 50% or more of US homes that are heated with the fossil fuel.
Here’s how it works: Winter storms create an imbalance between the supply of electricity and the demand for it. When that happens, grid operators are forced to take some electricity demand offline to prevent a larger outage.
Another problem is that many regional electric systems are not connected with other systems, meaning when one system is overwhelmed, other utilities can’t help out.
In extreme cold, says the World Resources Institute, one of the biggest challenges is getting fuel to power plants for electricity generation and to homes for heating…
During winter storms, demand for natural gas spikes as people turn up thermostats, while power plants also need the fuel to generate electricity. This simultaneous surge, known as coincident peak, is a well-known planning challenge. Extreme cold can strain the natural gas system beyond normal operating conditions, making it harder for gas-powered generators to access fuel when they need it the most. Similar stress can happen during extreme heat, when air conditioners drive up electricity demand.
Another issue is lack of proper winterization — preparing equipment for wintry conditions — across different parts of the electricity system. Equipment that isn’t prepared for extreme cold, such as power plants, sensors and natural gas wells and pipelines, can freeze or malfunction. When multiple pieces fail at once, utilities may have no choice but to implement widespread outages to maintain system safety and prevent cascading failures.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expects natural gas to increase its contribution to the electrical grid’s power plants by several percentage points in the next decade.
To ensure a reliable source of gas, FERC recommends that utilities invest in winterizing the natural gas system, lawmakers establish tough reliability standards, and gas companies and utilities improve their cooperation, NBC News says.
Other steps that could be taken to improve the electrical grid include: smart grid technology; federal, state and private investment; improving transmission networks; and Distributed Energy Resources (DER), which encourages localized energy production to take strain off the grid. Examples include rooftop solar and the creation of small, independent grids that service facilities such as hospitals and military bases.
