The ice storm that struck Texas, United States, claimed more than 30 lives in three days and caused a frightening surge in emissions of pollutants released into the atmosphere by the state's major refineries.

To prevent further power blackouts, the US Department of Energy authorised oil and gas power plants – at the request of Ercot, the company that manages the state's electricity grid, an independent network not connected to the two existing US grids, the Western and Eastern interconnections, proof that Texas is the lone star state par excellence – to generate as much electricity as possible, even if that meant exceeding the emissions limits set by law.

More emissions authorised in Texas

Between 15 and 18 February, Texas was overwhelmed by an Arctic cold snap that brought heavy snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures, which fell below zero in some areas. The storm left more than 2 million households without electricity: the abnormal cold caught Texas residents off guard and pushed them to switch on their heating simultaneously, creating a sudden surge in demand for electricity and generating an imbalance that led to power supply outages. The freeze also caused problems with pipelines and power plant facilities, resulting in supply delays.

To generate more electricity and prevent further blackouts, according to preliminary data provided to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the major energy companies relying on fossil fuels released hundreds of tonnes of benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide into the atmosphere — all compounds that are lethal to humans. Tall plumes of smoke spread across the Texas sky, visible for kilometres.

Specifically, the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur emitted more than three times the excess emissions in just four days compared with those declared in excess for the whole of 2019. Marathon Petroleum in Galveston Bay, meanwhile, released 10 per cent more emissions than its permitted levels in 2019. Exxon Mobil stated that its Baytown Olefins plant emitted nearly one tonne of benzene and 30 tonnes of carbon monoxide.

Fossil fuels are the real culprit

Within a matter of days, the excess-emissions notices sent to the relevant authorities multiplied: the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality — the state agency responsible for monitoring air and water quality — received 174 notices, four times more than the previous week.

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Texas freeze led to release of tons of air pollutants as refineries shut reut.rs/3k7nr9n

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80 per cent of Texas's electricity depends on natural gas, coal and nuclear energy, according to Ercot, with only a minimal share coming from renewable sources. Yet there were those who "blamed" renewable energy for the repeated blackouts during the storm, on the grounds that, according to its detractors, it had been unable to meet the population's electricity demand.

But rather than pointing the finger at frozen wind turbines, Texas should begin to reckon with the real culprit: climate change, which is responsible for the increasing frequency and intensity of storms. Fossil fuel power plants, moreover, in addition to fuelling global warming, were the main responsible parties in this episode: according to Ercot, on the first day following the cold snap, the total gigawatts of electrical capacity from unavailable renewable sources amounted to 16, while those lost due to gas and nuclear plants totalled 30. The following day, the gap was 18 gigawatts lost from renewables and 28 from gas and nuclear plants.

In short, the intense cold caused several fossil fuel plants to shut down, as did the reactor of one of the state's two nuclear power stations. The problem, as the Economist also explained, therefore lies in the inability of Texas's electricity system to meet the population's energy demands in an emergency. The solution to avoid similar scenarios in the future? The Economist itself spells it out: add more energy sources. Renewable ones.