The U.S. Department of Energy granted permission for power plants to release more pollution than is normally allowed — if grid conditions worsen.
Sign up for The BriefThe U.S. Department of Energy has cleared the way for Texas power plants to pollute more than is usually allowed, such as by burning dirtier fuel oil instead of natural gas, to keep the electricity on through Christmas morning.to exceed normal federal air quality restrictions after underestimating the demand for power during this week’s subfreezing temperatures. Such a request is not unusual during emergencies, experts said.
With power demand reaching an unexpected high Friday, some power production went offline, according to ERCOT officials. Units that produce about 11,000 megawatts of thermal power , 4,000 megawatts of wind power and 1,700 megawatts of solar power were down or scaled back Friday, the state grid operator told federal officials in a letter Friday. The Houston ChronicleOne megawatt is enough to power about 200 homes.
Federal officials granted the request Friday and issued an emergency order that will allow plants to operate regardless of air quality limits in certain circumstances. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Thursday also agreed to “provide enforcement discretion” in cases where emissions limits were exceeded, according to ERCOT.
The Department of Energy in a statement said it issued the emergency order to help “ensure reliable power supply for Texans during ongoing extreme weather conditions. This emergency order will require ERCOT to provide detailed reporting to DOE and completion of a post incident Special Environmental Analysis.”
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