The architect of Texas' electricity market says it's working as planned. Critics compare it to late Soviet Russia.

Power workers in Fort Worth
(Image credit: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

The Texas power grid, entirely contained within the state to avoid federal regulation, is facing renewed scrutiny after buckling under four days of sub-freezing temperatures. "Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Tuesday. "This is unacceptable," and the Texas government and legislature must find ways "ensure that our state never experiences power outages like this again."

This isn't the state's first rodeo with widespread blackouts amid unseasonable cold, however. The Texas power grid is designed to independently manage hot summers, not really cold winters. But "what has sent Texas reeling is not an engineering problem," Will Englund reports at The Washington Post. "It is a financial structure for power generation that offers no incentives to power plant operators to prepare for winter. In the name of deregulation and free markets, critics say, Texas has created an electric grid that puts an emphasis on cheap prices over reliable service."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.