Lessons learned: How electric grids withstood bitter cold in 2025

By EPN Staff

Domestic power systems performed well during January’s cold weather without major issues in either the natural gas or electric systems, according to a joint review from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

Natural gas in particular saw “only minor production declines” despite record demand, the groups said in their analysis.

By some measures the January 2025 winter storms were not as severe as 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, which crippled parts of Texas’ power grid, or 2022’s Winter Storm Elliott, which forced blackouts and generation failures in the southeast. But January 19 to 25 was the third coldest winter week since 2000 across the United States, and the grid “operated without major incident,” the report states.

Why it matters

The lowest temperatures in January did not last as long, on average, as they did during Winter Storm Uri, and temperatures did not drop as rapidly as they did during Winter Storm Elliott, the report states.

But analysts say those storms, and the scrutiny that followed, taught important lessons that improved performance this time around in Texas and in the Eastern states, where the report focuses.

Natural gas production dropped – at worst – about 8% off average levels from the previous month, the report states. That was minor compared to the 25% drop during Winter Storm Uri and the 18% drop during Elliott, when equipment froze and caused widespread problems.

“The natural gas market was able to meet record demand, with natural gas infrastructure – including wellheads, gathering, processing, pipeline transportation, and local gas distribution – performing adequately during the January 2025 arctic events,” the report states.

“This is partially because temperatures did not drop as low as forecasted. … However, several other factors also contributed to the overall positive performance, including advanced preparation, incorporating lessons learned and report recommendations from past winter storms, diversity of fuel supplies, and natural gas storage.”

These arctic events – winter storms Blair, Cora, Demi and Enzo – covered 22 days, “longer than Winter Storm Uri and Elliott combined,” the report states.

“Clearly, we have learned important lessons from earlier catastrophic outages such as those that took place during Winter Storm Uri, and grid operators and gas pipelines acted on those lessons, “ FERC Chairman Mark Christie said in announcing the report.

The bigger picture

The report identifies specific improvements, including:

• Better communication. Operators held daily calls to share information, with a focus in the Southeast on lessons learned during Elliott.
• Better forecasting. Providers “notably avoided double-digit under-forecast errors” from previous storms. This “minimizes the need to unexpectedly call on units in the middle of an extreme cold weather event when natural gas supplies may be limited,” the report states.
• A new pipeline. The Mountain Valley Pipeline reached full capacity for the first time in January and one provider “indicated that the pipeline played a crucial role in maintaining reliable electric supply during this high demand period."
• New batteries. Several entities, including the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), said new battery storage alleviated grid stress during critical hours.
• Better weatherization. Fewer units froze and failed during these storms, in part due to weatherization improvements since Uri and Elliott.

Additional details

The nation’s power systems “performed well” but “continue to see challenges from the extreme cold weather conditions, exposing continued gaps,” the report states.

Analysts recommended operators continue to implement recommendations made in the aftermaths of Elliott and Uri, as well as other findings from similar recent reviews. The report particularly highlights concerns with electrical generators.

“Despite the overall adequate grid performance during the January 2025 arctic events, a critical and persistent gap remains: mechanical and electrical generator outages,” the report states.

“The recurrence of these issues across multiple extreme weather events points to a systemic vulnerability in generator fleet resilience that has yet to be fully addressed.”