US Declares Power Emergency in Texas as Storm Boosts Demand

The US Energy Department declared a power emergency in Texas Saturday as a massive winter storm was set to test the state’s electric grid with ice, snow and temperatures forecast to be in the teens and single digits.

The order, signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, authorizes the state’s grid operator to deploy backup generation at data centers and other major facilities, “due to a sudden increase in demand, a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy.”

“This extreme level of demand raises a significant risk of emergency conditions that could ...