February 15, 2021 – A winter storm swept through 26 U.S. states with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation, causing traffic delays and power outages in Texas.
The United States is experiencing an unprecedented winter storm, 25 states, 150 million people affected, especially the largest oil-producing state of Texas energy industry was deeply affected by the night of the 15th because of the temperature of minus 17 degrees Celsius, oil wells and refineries shut down, power providers rotating power restrictions, nearly 4 million households have been without power, even Mexico were affected.
Texas produces about 4.6 million barrels of oil every day, is also the location of some large refineries in the United States, but West Texas shale oil town Midland (Midland) is freezing, not only the unprecedented amount of snow, the temperature is written down a 32-year low, the office and the company are therefore shut down.
Texas energy authorities said: “Some oil producers, especially those in the Permian Basin and the Panhandle, are experiencing unprecedented freezing conditions that not only pose concerns for the safety of employees, but also affect production.”
Motiva Enterprises LLC will close its largest domestic refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, with a capacity of 607,000 barrels of oil per day, while Valero Energy Corp. and Total SE will close their refineries in Port Arthur, Texas, with a capacity of 335,000 barrels of oil per day, respectively, the sources said. Valero Energy Corp. and Total SE closed their 335,000 barrels per day and 225,000 barrels per day plants in Port Arthur, respectively.
Exxon Mobil Corp. (Exxon Mobil) also began closing its 360,924-barrel-per-day Beaumont refinery and chemical plant in Texas.
Fears of oil supply problems have caused West Texas Crude Oil prices to rise above $60 per barrel for the first Time in more than a year.
A winter storm swept through 26 U.S. states on Feb. 15, 2021, with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation causing traffic delays and power outages in Texas. In this photo, people purchase livelihood items from a local gas station in Austin, Texas.
Grid operators call for rotating power outages
In the wake of millions of power outages in Texas, grid operators operating in 14 states, from North Dakota to Oklahoma, have asked utilities to initiate rotating blackouts to avoid a surge in demand that could overwhelm the system.
Southwest Power Pool, the grid operator, said in a statement on the 15th: “This is an unprecedented event in our history of grid operations.”
According to Poweroutage.us, as of the afternoon of the 15th, 3.8 million homes in Texas were without power; more than 225,000 homes in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and other states were without power.
The cold weather in Texas has left Houston, the first city, with icy roads and long lines of people waiting to fill their Home heaters with fuel, and firewood for the heaters has been snapped up. In Austin, several fires broke out while people were using fireplaces to heat their homes.
In addition, due to the shortage of natural gas, causing Mexico, at least 400,000 homes, businesses and other electricity customers without power, and forced power plants to suspend operations. Currently about 60% of the affected customers have been restored to power.
The U.S. National Weather Service predicted that the 16th (local time) temperatures will climb slightly above freezing. But by the evening of the 18th, temperatures will fall again.
On February 15, 2021, a winter storm swept through 26 U.S. states, mixing freezing temperatures with precipitation and causing traffic delays and power outages in Texas. Pictured, the Texas Capitol is surrounded by heavy snow.
A winter storm swept through 26 U.S. states on Feb. 15, 2021, with a mix of freezing temperatures and precipitation causing traffic delays and power outages in Texas. Pictured, a man’s vehicle is stuck in a snowbank in East Austin, Texas.
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