Due to the extreme cold that has hit Texas, the U.S. State Utility Administration is temporarily banning energy providers from billing households or turning off their supplies because of a fee debt, Governor Greg Abbott announced Sunday.
Many household energy consumers have received thousands of dollars in electricity bills for only a few days since the onset of the cold wave. The temperature on the coldest days was minus 25 degrees Celsius, which is extraordinary in this southern state.
U.S. President Joe Biden, MTI recalls, declared a disaster situation in Texas on Saturday after extreme power outages and water shortages hit millions of residents. As a result, residents can claim federal support for a variety of their expenses, including energy bills. And Governor Abbott convened the state legislature as a matter of urgency that day to discuss with them what solution could be found for the huge bills of electricity.
Texas is the only U.S. state whose energy grid is independent of the rest of the country and its energy market is unregulated.
Consumers can choose from many service providers, and many have a contract with a service provider that their bill amounts depend not only on consumption but also on consumer demand. Several have warned that in such a system, consumers are vulnerable to large bills in extreme weather.
At the peak of the power outage, there were four million residents without electricity. Since Saturday, all power plants have been operating again, but on Sunday, 30,000 people still did not have electricity in their homes.
The verdict of snow and frost hit Oklahoma, Louisiana and other nearby states in addition to Texas. The harsh weather now has 76 fatalities.
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