TikTok Users Are Coming for ERCOT Once Again
TikTok is blowing up with angry Texans. Simply searching #ERCOT on the app will land you in a sea of videos commenting on how upset Texas citizens are about the electrical grid.
Back in February, my TikTok feed was swamped with videos about the winter storm, Uri. Some of the most heart-wrenching videos I saw were those from the citizens that were experiencing the blackouts head-on. It was a scary time that left thousands of Texans without power for days and claimed dozens of lives.
How did ERCOT handle it? By saying their grid just wasn’t built for that kind of cold.
Now, around four months after winter storm Uri, ERCOT is asking for Texans to reduce their electricity consumption in fear of another grid failure due to high temperatures. The fact that they are now saying that the grid can't handle the heat is ridiculous.
It's one thing to say the grid couldn't take the cold. That makes some sense considering we usually don’t reach such low temperatures in Texas. However, they say it can't handle the heat? Come on -- it’s Texas. The average climate for the summer is in the high 90s with peak temperatures up to 113 degrees.
Of course, TikTok users are posting comparisons of the current situation and the February incident. No one feels like they can trust ERCOT anymore. They're asking why we should listen to their requests when they don’t seem to care about our safety.
We should not have to live in fear of a major power outage. Lives were lost in February due to the winter storm and blackouts. Do we really need to put more people at risk before making a change?