Articles by Rachel Adams-Heard and Naureen S. Malik

Texas Got Early Warnings About Costly Grid Policy, Records Show

Texas grid officials received repeated warnings last summer that their efforts to shore up the state’s increasingly strained electric grid risked driving up power prices, records show. Concerns first arose just days after the state launched a new policy meant …

China Is ‘Big Threat’ to Energy Industry, Cybersecurity Official Says

The US energy industry must shore up protection against cyberattacks from China, a more pressing concern than attacks from Russia amid its war on Ukraine, according to a senior government cybersecurity official. “The big threat we all need to be …

Attacks on U.S. Power Grids Rose to All-Time High in 2022

Attacks on US power grids rose to an all-time high last year, further straining the sprawling and aging network. The number of direct physical attacks, including acts of vandalism and other suspicious activity, that potentially threatened grid reliability rose 77% …

In Texas’s Black-Swan Blackout, Everything Went Wrong at Once

The finger-pointing began immediately: It was the frozen wind turbines that foolishly replaced traditional sources. No, fossil fuels were at fault. No, Texas’s deregulated power market, unique in the country, had allowed companies to skimp on maintenance and upgrades. As …

Freeze Slams Texas; Power Could Be Out for Days

The deep freeze that has forced the shutdown of U.S. refineries, oil wells and meat plants, disrupted shipments of soybeans and corn, and is still leaving more than 3 million customers without electricity could continue to keep parts of Texas …

Aging Infrastructure Poses Risks for Communities Relying on Natural Gas

The kind of dramatic scenes that played out in suburban Massachusetts last month following a series of explosions and fires may serve as a warning of what lies ahead for the U.S., where an increasing reliance on natural gas is …

Gas Blasts Near Boston Linked to NiSource Unit’s Work Orders

A series of explosions that rocked several towns north of Boston, Mass., last month has been linked to work orders given to a crew replacing aging natural gas pipes, according to federal safety investigators. Crews contracted by NiSource Inc.’s Columbia …

After Blasts, Massachusetts Gas Customers Face Long Wait

The blast of high-pressure natural gas that led to dozens of home explosions last week in Massachusetts very likely damaged the system’s antiquated pipeline network and could lead to a long period of testing and repairs before full service is …

Gas Company Hit Over Response to Massachusetts Explosions; New Leak Found

A new natural gas leak was discovered in the Boston area just two days after a series of pipeline explosions killed one person, injured more than 25 and prompted Massachusetts to declare a state of emergency. The latest leak was …

Deadly Gas Explosions Near Boston Put Focus on Pipe Safety

Federal investigators were dispatched to three towns just outside Boston after dozens of explosions and fires along NiSource Inc.’s natural gas network left at least one person dead and 13 injured and displaced over 8,000 customers. Massachusetts State Police reported …