The Texas oil and natural gas industry is prepared to provide power throughout a winter storm that has already dumped several inches of snow in the Panhandle and heavy rainfall in the Permian Basin, the power producing region of the state and country.

Texas’ natural gas production, processing, transmission, and storage sectors are well prepared, operational and continue to have needed production and storage, the Texas Oil & Gas Association said in a statement. It notes that “localized issues have occurred as anticipated with weather events. Operators report varying impacts due to power outages, and road conditions particularly impacting third-party vendors; however, operators reporting that most challenges have been or are being addressed. There has been minimal impact to the overall natural gas production and distribution system.”

As of Saturday, RBN Energy reports statewide natural gas production remains strong at 27.24 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d), any reductions would be “well within the anticipated impacts,” TXOGA says.

As the storm first moved into far west Texas, several reports of localized and intermittent power outages occurred in the Permian and Delaware Basins, TXOGA said. However, operators are working with electric transmission providers to address isolated outages, it said.

Significant precipitation and extreme temperatures are impacting road conditions in the Permian and Delaware basins, Midland, the Panhandle and North Texas.

TXOGA notes that the industry has implemented preparedness and response protocols and transmission and distribution systems are experiencing stable pressures.

The industry has implemented weatherization techniques to prepare for cold weather, including methanol injection, temperature activated pumps, steamer units, equipment shelters, and insulated critical lines and valves. Additional pre-storm and offsite measures include having secured shelter/housing to pre-position personnel closer to assets, having extra methanol and other supplies on trucks, preparing and draining tanks to increase on-site storage, “line-packing” to maximize product and pressurization in pipelines, among other actions.

ERCOT issued a weather watch for January 24-27. It also says there is expected to be enough power to meet peak demand.

The National Weather Service has issued extreme cold winter watches for multiple regions in Texas as an arctic front moves through.

On Friday night, the storm first hit the Permian, Panhandle and north Texas along the I-20 corridor. Snowfall reached up to 8 inches from Lubbock into Oklahoma and up to 3 inches along the I-20 corridor.

The heaviest frozen precipitation (freezing rain/sleet) has occurred from the Permian Basin into the Big Country to the Red River, the NWS said. North of I-20, residents are expected to experience below zero to single digits.

Between I-10 and I-20, Texans can expect temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees on Sunday and Monday, the NWS said.

On Saturday, heavy sleet and rain are falling in other areas of the state, including in the Houston area. As temperatures drop, authorities have warned about dangerous icey road conditions.

Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing throughout most of Texas throughout the week. Monday morning is expected to be coldest statewide with some areas seeing single digits and extended freezing temperatures. Residual refreezing is expected to occur into at least Wednesday, the NWS said.

Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this week issued disaster declarations for nearly all counties and surged emergency response personnel statewide, The Center Square reported.

The Railroad Commission, which regulates the industry, has created an operations center for industry operators to report road issues. It has also published emergency weather resources and a weatherization practices guidance document.

It also maintains a 24-hour, toll-free emergency line, 844-773-0305, to report oil and natural gas emergencies, including leaks or spills and damage to gas pipelines.

Several free resources are available to Texans, including the TDEM Disaster Portal, which includes winter weather information. Winter weather safety tips can be found at TexasReady.gov. Texans can find warming centers that are open and operated by local officials at tdem.texas.gov/warm.

Texans can also check road conditions at DriveTexas.org, sign up for grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS), monitor real-time and extended grid conditions at ercot.com and check power outages here.