Compounding these issues was the Texas Ice Storm in February, which knocked out roughly 80% of US polymer production. Because the storm occurred with very little warning, many factories weren’t able to shut down properly, resulting in polymers congealing and solidifying in the equipment.
I'm surprised it's not cost effective to have backup generators to power critical equipment long enough for a graceful shutdown if an ungraceful shutdown can keep a plant offline for a month or longer.
I'm surprised it's not cost effective to have backup generators to power critical equipment long enough for a graceful shutdown if an ungraceful shutdown can keep a plant offline for a month or longer.