[DallasDeb]

ERCOT confirms that the outages are on company assets internal to the plant, and that other customers are not affected.

But for 3 different companies?

My employer installs outdoor electronic systems near salt water (east coast, west coast, Florida, Houston) and we are required to use equipment that will not be affected by salt. I'm surprised that refineries wouldn't have similar protection.

[thackney]

It is not electronic equipment. It is plant distribution power lines like you have running overhead through a neighborhood. Those insulators require washing in coastal areas. They are bought with extra distance (surface area) in that environment.

If there is not rain, many place actually have a washing program with hoses.

More likely that only one had serious fault and there was a cascading outage before the systems could be isolated.