During the prolonged cold front, some natural gas-fired power plants did not have the required fuel to operate. Some coal-fired facilities froze – both the power plants themselves and their on-site coal piles. Some fuel-oil plants weren’t able to operate because liquid feedstocks would gel and clog valves or trucks couldn’t reach facilities to deliver fuel. In other cases, the cold weather and precipitation brought down power lines.
This is a long way of saying that regardless of fuel source, there are some inescapable limitations on our energy delivery system when Mother Nature wants to unleash her full fury.
