BE SETTLING

DOWN. THE HEAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE

AS WE GO ON. >>> SCOTT FREEDMAN HAS

BEEN ON TOP OF THE POWER PROBLEM

SINCE FEBRUARY'S WINTER STORM. LEFT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN

THE DARK FOR DAYS. SCOTT, AC IN THE SUMMER IN

TEXAS IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE AND

DEATH FOR SOME FOLKS WHAT'S

HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? >> BRIAN LET'S BREAK THIS

DOWN. IT APPEARS FOR THE SECOND

TIME THIS YEAR, A LOT OF POWER

GRIDS HAVE NOT SHOWN

UP. THEY'VE NOT BEEN READY

TO PERFORM IN EXTREME

WEATHER. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN

FEBRUARY WHEN ALMOST HALF OF THE

POWER GENERATION SHUT

DOWN. NOW TODAY ERCOT SAYS

AN UNEXPECTED NUMBER OF

PLANTS SHUT DOWN IN THE

SUMMER HEAT. SO FAR THE STATE HAS BEEN

ABLE TO AVOID

POWER OUTAGES. WE'RE NOT OUT OF THE

WOODS YET. POWER EXPERTS POINT OUT IN

THE EVENING HOURS, WHEN SOLAR

POWER DROPS OFF AS THE SUN SETS

WE COULD FACE AN EVEN

BIGGER POWER CRUNCH. WE'LL BE WATCHING THIS

CLOSELY INTO THE EVENING. MEANWHILE ERCOT WANTS TO GET

O TO THE BOTTOM OF WHY SO

MANY POWER PLANTS WERE UNABLE TO

RUN TODAY BECAUSE THE

NUMBER OF PLANTS THAT SHUT DOWN IS ABOUT

3 TO 4 TIMES NORMAL FOR THIS

TIME OF YEAR. >> WE'RE DEEPLY

CONCERNED ABOUT THE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH

ALL OF THESE PLANTS THAT ARE

OFFLINE AT THIS

TIME. AND WE WILL BE DOING A

THOROUGH INVESTIGATION TO

UNDERSTAND WHAT THE ISSUES ARE AND TO

ASSESS WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS

ARE FOR THE

GRID. >> AFTER THE

FEBRUARY POWER OUTAGES, ERCOT ANNOUNCED FOR

THE FIRST TIME IT COULD

CONDUCT SUMMER INSPECTIONS AT A

SMALL NUMBER OF POWER PLANTS TO

MAKE SURE THEY WERE

READY. WHEN I

QUESTIONED ERCOT OFFICIALS TODAY THEY

TOLD ME THEY COMPLETED 20 OF THE

31 SUMMER PLANT

INSPECTIONS THEY PLAN TO

CONDUCT. BUT FOUR OF THE PLANTS ERCOT

HAS ALREADY CHECKED WERE AMONG

THOSE THAT SHUT DOWN TODAY,

BRIAN. >> SO, SCOTT, ONE

QUESTION I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD

HERE IS CAN THESE PLANTS JUST

SHUT DOWN ON THEIR OWN OR

DO THEY HAVE TO TELL ERCOT THAT

THEY'RE GOING SHUT

DOWN. >> THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO

NOTIFY ERCOT MANY DAYS IN ADVANCE

IF THEY NEED TO GO DOWN

FOR MAINTENANCE. ERCOT IS SAYING IN

THESE DAYS, THEY DID NOT GET

NOTICE. THESE WERE UNPLANNED

OUTAGES. RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT

HOW THESE PLANTS ARE

COMMUNICATING WITH ERCOT AND IF ERCOT

IS ASKING ENOUGH QUESTIONS OF THESE PLANTS IF THEY NEED TO

SHUT DOWN OR IF THESE ARE

LAST MINUTE PROBLEMS THAT HAVE COME

UP. WE REACHED OUT TO

SEVERAL LARGE POWER COMPANIES TODAY TO

ASK THEM ABOUT

THAT. A COUPLE OF THEM

DID NOT RESPOND. ONE TOLD US THEY CAN'T

COMMENT AT THIS POINT ON WHETHER

THEIR PLANTS WERE INVOLVED IN

THE OUTAGE TODAY. >> IT IS SO

FRUSTRATING. ONCE AGAIN I KNOW

YOU'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING THIS

SITUATION INTO THE NIGHT BECAUSE THERE