Transmission towers near the CenterPoint Energy facility in 2022 in Houston, Texas.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
MySA
By Steven Santana
As Texas' power grid operator is still warning people to conserve energy amid high temperatures, CPS Energy's CEO said at an energy panel this week that the energy system's gas supply can't handle another harsh winter. CPS Energy's CEO Rudy Garza made the comments during a U.S. Energy Association panel on Tuesday, September 12, the Express-News reported.
Garza said that state regulators have yet to address the strain on natural gas production that led to power outages during the 2021 February winter storm. Natural gas production and the power grid work in tandem, and lowered gas production due to power outages, thus leading to more of a strain on the grid.
"I believe it’s still a risk," Garza told the panel.
Garza went on to talk about natural gas and renewable energy should work together, saying it's a transition that is inevitable. He also said that he is committed to addressing CPS Energy's gas supply and where it comes from in the event that natural gas production slows during another harsh winter.
"I’ll tell you, probably my No. 1 priority and CPS Energy right now is getting my gas supply strategy right and diversifying where that gas is coming from," Garza said.
The Farmers' Almanac says that Texas should brace for an unseasonable cold and wetter winter this year as El Niño brews south of North America this season.