AUSTIN, Texas (KTEN) -- An angry Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to get to the bottom of the power emergency that plunged millions of Texans into darkness as a historic winter storm put the state in a deep freeze this week.

"What happened this week to our fellow Texans is absolutely unacceptable and can never be replicated again," Abbott said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

According to the governor, the CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas told state officials five days before the storm hit: "We're ready for the cold temperatures coming our way." Abbott continued:

"He said that ERCOT had issued a notice to power plants to ensure that they were winterized properly, and ERCOT's annual winter assessment -- which is designed to ensure that the state is prepared -- assured the public that there would be enough power to meet peak demand this winter," the governor said. "ERCOT failed on each of these measures that they said they had undertaken."

Abbott said he's asking state lawmakers to investigate the sequence of events that led to the massive power outages across Texas.

"Texans deserve answers about why these shortfalls occurred and how they're going to be corrected, and Texans will get those answers," the governor pledged.

He said the state's electrical generators are all online and that power has been restored to nearly 2 million homes. Abbott said while 325,000 customers remain without power, those blackouts are due to power lines that were knocked out by the fierce winter storm or physical reconnections that need to be made.

The governor also said he's asking the legislature to require that generating stations and the power system be winterized to withstand any future cold snaps.

"Everyone knows how challenging the past few days have been for our fellow Texans," Abbott said. "I want everyone to know that all of us in the State of Texas believe it is completely unacceptable that you had to endure one minute of the challenge that you faced. All of us agree on the necessity of the action ... to ensure that you never have to endure anything like this ever again."

The governor also said he is asking for a major disaster declaration so that the Federal Emergency Management Agency can provide assistance to Texans who suffered plumbing damage from from pipes that burst during the freezing temperatures.

 

Gov. Greg Abbott offers an update on the Texas power crisis on February 18, 2021.
Gov. Greg Abbott offers an update on the Texas power crisis on February 18, 2021. (Pool/CNN)