The power grid operator for Texas has ousted chief executive Bill Magness as the fallout continues from a deadly blackout last month that left residents without heat, power or water for days.
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His departure followed fierce criticism by state lawmakers of the handling of the crisis by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which has led one large electricity provider to seek bankruptcy and put several others near to it.
The mid-February storm temporarily knocked out up to half the state's generating plants, triggering outages that killed dozens and pushed power prices to 10 times the normal rate.
"ERCOT's decision to oust CEO Bill Magness signals accountability for the disaster that swept through our state two weeks ago," Texas Attorney-General Ken Paxton said on Twitter on Wednesday.
The ERCOT board will begin an immediate search for a new CEO.
Magness was grilled for hours last week for leaving power prices at up to 450 times the usual rate after the threat to the state's grid had ended.
Seven of ERCOT's 15 directors have resigned in the past week and the head of the state's Public Utility Commission, which supervised ERCOT, resigned on Monday.
The winter storm caused widespread blackouts across Texas, a state unaccustomed to extreme cold, knocking out power to more than four million people at its peak.
Australian Associated Press
