We’ve all watched the news and wondered – Could this energy crisis in Texas happen to us? In two words: probably not. And here’s why.
Texas relies heavily on natural gas, and those gas supply systems were restricted due to the extreme cold. SC relies less on natural gas and has excess supply that is not fueled by gas.
For South Carolina’s cooperatives, we have more than 5,500 MW of capacity standing by to respond to emergencies. To give you some perspective, 1 MW can supply around 650 average homes. And the 5,500 MW is our RESERVE capacity.
SC benefits from collaboration and cooperation as a member of the South Eastern Reliability Council (SERC). The design of this Reserve Sharing offers great reliability to the Carolinas. Texas does not have the same level of interconnections to other utilities like we do.
And one additional component that makes us unbelievably strong – our cooperation. The major threat to ensuring reliable power is the loss of transmission and distribution facilities – the wires if you will – due to major storms. When this happens, the electric cooperatives work together by sharing crews from across the region. For example, we sent crews to Virginia just last week.
Moving forward, we are continuing to ensure that we stay prepared. We work hard to provide you with access to safe and reliable power, always looking at ways to improve our services. And our prayers go out to those in Texas as they restore power and rebuild.
