The Texas Electricity Supply Chain Security and Mapping Committee today adopted an Electricity Supply Chain Map of critical infrastructure – the first of its kind in the state – for use during disaster and emergency preparedness and response.
“This map will save lives in Texas,” said Thomas Gleeson, Public Utility Commission of Texas Executive Director and chairman of the mapping committee. “Our agencies have collected an enormous amount of critical information in one place, available to state emergency officials with a click of a mouse. That means better-coordinated preparedness before a disaster and faster response times in an emergency, to protect the Texas grid.”
“This map is an important tool to protect all Texans during weather emergencies.,” said Wei Wang, Railroad Commission of Texas Executive Director and vice-chair of the committee. “It is also a great example of how the agencies have been collaborating. Our teams worked shoulder to shoulder together and exchanged a very large amount of data and information. All the layers of facilities on the map will help the state’s planning and response to fix problems real-time and prioritize electricity service during emergencies.”
The map identifies critical infrastructure facilities that make up the state’s electricity supply chain, including electric generation plants and the natural gas facilities that supply fuel to power the plants. State emergency management officials will use the map during weather emergencies and disasters to pinpoint the location of critical electric and natural gas facilities and emergency contact information for those facilities.
The current map has more than 65,000 facilities including electricity generation plants powered by natural gas, electrical substations, natural gas processing plants, underground gas storage facilities, oil and gas well leases, saltwater disposal wells, as well as more than 21,000 miles of gas transmission pipelines and approximately 60,000 miles of power transmission lines.
In addition to infrastructure layers, the Electricity Supply Chain map includes elements such as Texas Division of Emergency Management regions, emergency contact information for facilities, as well as visualization of weather watches and warnings as they occur in any part of the state. The map is a living document and will be updated twice a year, or more often if necessary.
Creation of the map was required under Senate Bill 3 passed by the 87th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott. The legislation prohibits the public release of the map and corresponding data to protect the safety and integrity of the electricity supply chain.
The Mapping Committee is comprised of the Public Utility Commission, the Railroad Commission, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
The committee will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, May 31, which will be live-streamed for the public at www.puc.texas.gov/agency/Broadcasts.aspx.
Source: www.rrc.texas.gov
