The impacts of a Winter Storm Uri, which wreaked havoc on the Texas energy system in mid-February, are lingering nearly two months later as downstream facilities await freeze-related repairs.

Ethanol Production

“From a natural disaster perspective, the impact on the petrochemical space from Uri is much greater than any previous event that we’ve had in recent memory,” said IHS Markit’s Bill Hyde, executive director of olefins and elastomers. “I’ve been associated with the petrochemical space now for 30 years directly, and nothing in my experience is anywhere close to this.”

The impacts are wide ranging, including a reported global plastics shortage. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported the storm also caused ethanol production to fall to the lowest levels...