The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

By KUT & KUTX Studios, Mose Buchele

What's The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout about?

Millions lost power. Hundreds died. How did this happen? KUT’s Mose Buchele explores what happened during the worst blackout in Texas history.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout episodes:

03.10.2023
The Texas Grid Under Pressure
In this bonus episode, you’ll hear a panel of experts we brought together to mark two years since the 2021 blackout, where we discuss the future of the Texas grid in the face of climate change and the increasingly extreme...
10.31.2022
The Campaign
Nearly two years after the big blackout in Texas, how big of an issue is the power grid in the 2022 race for governor? We talk with Julian Aguilar, a reporter for the Texas Newsroom. The Disconnect Season 2 is...
09.08.2022
The Midnight Connection
We’ve already learned how Texas (or at least most of it) is an energy island — mostly cut off from grids in other states. In this episode, we’ll hear about the time when one power company went rogue and threw...
09.01.2022
BONUS: The Megawatt We Don’t Use
We’ve talked about the supply-side fixes — but what about the demand side? The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from...
08.25.2022
The Fixes
A year and a half after the blackout, lots of Texans are still wondering if they can rely on the power grid. After conservation alerts and one pretty close call this summer, it can seem like the grid is still...
08.11.2022
The Money
Texans have seen their electric bills rise dramatically since the blackouts last year. We’ll break down all the links in the electric supply chain that each need to get paid — and explain how we’ll still be paying the costs...
08.04.2022
The Toll
In the time since the blackout, state officials, ERCOT and power generators have tried to convince Texans that they’ve got things under control. But a lot of people aren’t convinced. And with good reason. In this episode, we’ll explore how...
07.15.2022
Coming Soon: Season Two
In February 2021, days-long blackouts in Texas left millions of people shivering in the dark. Hundreds died. And it exposed the failures of the nation’s only independent power grid. More than a year later, the lights have stayed on, but...
11.18.2021
Bonus: The Winterizing
Texas lawmakers passed a law earlier this year requiring power plants to winterize — but what does that really mean? And what about winterizing other things that are needed to make sure the lights don’t go out in a storm...
08.26.2021
The Fallout
So what did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? Find a full transcript of this episode here.
08.12.2021
Bonus: The Great Dam Disaster
A huge catastrophe. Dozens dead. A city without power or water. It’s like a miniature version of the February blackouts. Except this happened more than 100 years ago in Texas — and leaders faced some of the same questions then...
08.05.2021
Bonus: The Black Start
In this mini-episode, we tell what happens next if the Texas power grid were to suffer a catastrophic failure. It almost did in February — and if it had happened, there might have been an even bigger problem. Find a...
07.29.2021
The Blackout
The story of how the worst blackout in Texas history unfolded — and left millions of people cold, hungry and with no faith in their state’s power grid. A warning: Some of what you’ll hear in this episode may be...
07.22.2021
The Electricity Game
How did we get the power grid we have today? Andrew Weber has the story — and it involves football, subterfuge and a whole lot of lobbyists. You can find a full transcript of this episode here.
07.22.2021
The Energy Island
It was only when the lights went out in Texas that many of us realized — electrically — we are all alone. Claire McInerny brings us that story. Plus, Jimmy Maas tells us how the electricity market in Texas used...
06.07.2021
Trailer: The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout
Join us as we explore the reasons and decisions that ultimately left millions of Texans in the dark during the crippling winter storm of February 2021. KUT’s Mose Buchele reports on what happened, how we got the electric grid we...

What's The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout episodes:

The Texas Grid Under Pressure

The Campaign

The Midnight Connection

BONUS: The Megawatt We Don’t Use

The Fixes

The Money

The Toll

Coming Soon: Season Two

Bonus: The Winterizing

The Fallout

Bonus: The Great Dam Disaster

Bonus: The Black Start

The Blackout

The Electricity Game

The Energy Island

Trailer: The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout