Before energy deregulation in Texas, power companies were required by law to build in extra capacity for weather events, and Texas power was among the most reli

Before energy deregulation in Texas, power companies were required by law to build in extra capacity for weather events, and Texas power was among the most reliable in the nation for many decades. Yes it was a separate grid, and it was utterly reliable. Both things were true. After deregulation, the Texas power companies were motivated purely by profit, which meant they got rid of extra capacity, winterization mechanisms, etc because all those things cost them money. A grid that runs right on the hairy edge of failure works great as long as everything happens as planned, but eventually a February 2021 comes along. Some penalties for lack of winterization have supposedly been put back in place, but knowing how Texas politics works I expect most of the power companies have figured out ways around them.