No one power source is entirely reliable, but gas comes with specific vulnerabilities, as NERC notes in its statement : "NERC is especially concerned about natural gas supply given the significant amount of production in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast."

During winter storm Uri in Texas, gas plants made up the largest share of plant failures by a wide margin-more than double that of the next largest, according to a joint NERC/FERC analysis . And failures at gas plants in PJM during the December 2022 winter blast caused the power supply to nearly fall short then too.

A report last year from the U.S. Department of Energy(DOE) warns that overreliance on fossil fuel energy is a "risky" approach. The report endorses a "portfolio approach" of low-carbon options, which also includes storage and grid-enhancing technologies.

While fossil fuel interests may try to blame renewable energy for any problems, the fact is that grid operators, industry regulators, states, and utilities need to step up and build a strong and nimble grid system that can handle increases in extreme weather with the power sources that are now the most economical-wind, solar, asnd battery storage-combined with an expanded electricity transmission grid.

"Relying solely on additional fossil fuel resources as the default option to meet reliability needs is risky," the DOE report concluded. "Reliability is a system attribute-no individual resource is perfectly reliable."

One way to have a more resilient system is to have a larger system. After all, while it may be cold and snowy in Chicago, the sun may be shining in New Mexico, fueling solar panels that can send power to the Midwest. That's why grid operators need to move quickly to develop interregional transmission lines necessary to share power across the country.

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