This is simply crap:
"At the same time, we have many power plants in Texas that are down for maintenance, so they can be up and fully operational this summer," McCullough said.
This is the same excuse that was given to Califronia. Identical. We're being played. If you cannot provide reliable electricity then you are on par with a third world nation and deregulation is a sham.
Planned maintainence my ass:
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which runs the state's power grid, said the statewide shortage was caused by record-breaking heat striking at a time when as much as 15 percent of the state's power supply was already off-line for seasonal maintenance. Then four power-generating plants shut down unexpectedly, ERCOT spokesman Paul Wattles said.
Kalifornication, Texas style.