(Austin) — The Texas power grid, which currently sits on an island, may soon be connected with grids in the southeastern portions of the United States. Texas currently has a stand alone approach to its electricity system’s backbone.
Connecting the Texas grid with other electricity infrastructure is something that the state legislature has been debating for a long time. State Senator Jose Menedez says now be the time to take that action.
“It only makes sense, because we have, at times, so much power, that I believe we could export,” said Menedez.
Senator Menendez says it just makes sense for the state to take this action. He says it not only protects the energy supply in Texas, but he believes it would also be good for Texas consumers.
“We could export power and end up reducing the cost to Texans,” said Menedez.
If the state’s power grid is connected to those outside the state, it might also help during severe weather situations. Senator Menendez says the state should do all that it can to ease fears over another disaster related to the state’s power grid.
“If there’s a weather phenomenon going on that is causing a problem with generating power, I think it’s important for us to be able to help each other out,” said Menedez.
Having a secondary power source available might help to avoid disasters, like Winter Storm Uri. The storm, in February of 2021, plunged the state into darkness for days.
This current plan, for connecting the state’s power grid, calls for a private 400-mile transmission line that would stretch to Mississippi. But the plan still faces some opposition from the state of Louisiana, which says that it would not benefit from the project.