Biased article. Not a single mention that bitcoin miners agree to power down voluntarily  during the alerts, and thus work to subsidize the power plant when there is excess capacity, and work essentially as a "rolling reserve" by disengaging the (still relatively rare) periods of time when the power contracted by the miners is instead of more value going to the grid.

cryptocoin

bitcoin

‘Things Are Going to Break’: Texas Power Plants Are Running Nonstop

2big2fail

> Growing Population, Crypto
>
> The situation underscores that the Texas grid is relying on short-term solutions for what’s poised to be a long-term problem. The state is contending with a population boom that’s driven demand higher. Crypto mining has also taken off in the past year, bringing with it the industry’s power-intensive operations. Meanwhile climate change has made extreme weather events that drive up electricity use more likely to occur and more severe — creating situations like a deadly February 2021 freeze that caused blackouts across the state.