Edgewater Republican Files Bill To Strengthen Grid

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Sen. Bob Hall recently filed Senate Bill 330 to address the resiliency and reliability of the Texas electric grid.

During each session he has been in office, the Edgewood Republican has advocated for strengthening the resiliency of the grid and implementing measures to harden the grid against both natural and man-made threats.

As seen during Winter Storm Uri, the grid is vulnerable. The natural threat of the winter storm took the lives of over 200 people, had a direct/indirect economic impact of over $130 billion, and brought the state to within four minutes of a statewide grid failure, which would have meant weeks or even months without electricity.

(Full story HERE.)

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Tesla Energy Approved To Sell Electricity In Texas

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The Public Utility Commission of Texas has approved an application from Tesla Energy Ventures, LLC, to provide retail electricity “throughout the area served by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT),” according to the application.

That means the company can sell its energy to residential or business customers in places like Dallas-Fort Worth or Houston, but not to municipal or co-op areas like Bluebonnet, Pedernales, or Austin Energy service areas.

(Full story here.)
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El Paso Billionaire Named New ERCOT Chairman

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An El Paso businessman, billionaire Paul Foster, has been named chairman of the new board for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas - ERCOT.

He is one of the first two members of the new ERCOT board, which is being reformed after last winter's near collapse of the Texas power grid, which ERCOT manages.

Many legislators were surprised to learn after the ice storm that most of the board members did not reside in Texas, and had no connection to the state.

Six remaining ERCOT board positions are to be filled in the coming months, according to the announcement recently made by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which oversees ERCOT. 

(Full story here.)
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Class Action Suit Filed Against ERCOT Over Winter Storm Failures

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More than 270 Texans from across the state are suing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for “negligent management” of the power grid during the February winter storm.

The February winter storm knocked out power for millions of Texans and kept them in single-digit temps and the dark for several days. Officials say generators not being properly weatherized for the plunging temperatures were the cause.

The lawsuit was filed Sept. 28 in Travis County District Court. It states each of the plaintiffs were among the Texans who lost power at their residence. 

In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law two bills focusing on an overhaul of ERCOT.

One reformed the ERCOT board, and the other requires electricity providers operating on the Texas grid to weatherize equipment and improve communication with customers during outages.

(Full story here.)
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Lt. Gov. Calls On Utilities Commission To Correct Pricing Error

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called on the Texas Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to correct the emergency pricing error that continued after the power shortage had ended and the major threat to the Texas grid had passed.

In a press release Monday, the lieutenant governor wrote: 

“We are continuing to investigate the power outages of the February 15 arctic blast which plunged millions of Texans into darkness.

“In response to grid-wide power shortages starting February 15, the PUC ordered ERCOT to institute the $9,000 per megawatt hour cost cap, which is designed to encourage increased power generation during an extreme shortage. 

"However, according to the Independent Market Monitor (IMM), ERCOT incorrectly extended that pricing intervention after the power shortage had ended. The $9,000 price should have ended at 11:55 PM on February 17. Instead, it continued throughout the entire day of February 18 into February 19th – 32 hours total ­– which resulted in an additional $16 billion in charges."

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Lt. Gov. Patrick Says Energy Reform Is His Responsibility

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On a visit to Midland on Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick laid out several of his priorities for the State legislative session. Topping the list was reform of the states power grid in light of the power outages estate experience during the recent ice storm and frigid temperatures.

"Look, we all have to be honest, this was the most severe storm in the history of the state,” Patrick said. “No one predicted 10 inches of snow in Del Rio or two snowfalls in San Antonio or 20 degree below with the windchill factor in parts of Texas, but we should have been in a situation no worse than rolling brownouts….I’m taking the responsibility of this fix on my shoulders.”

A complete ERCOT reform, more winterization, new pricing schedules in times of emergency or extreme weather were all on the table, according to Patrick.

The Texas Senate and the House have planned hearings on what went wrong last week and why. Gov. Abbott says it should be a legislative priority.

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Breaking: ERCOT Board Resigns

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Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to the Public Utility Commission.

All four of the members who are resigning live out of state.

Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, will resign at the end of the ERCOT board meeting Wednesday morning, according to the notice.

The board members had been under intense criticism this past week for their handling of the massive power outages that resulted from the ice storm and extremely cold weather Texas experienced.

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Chair, Vice-Chair Of Energy Council Live Out-of-State

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The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is getting a lot of attention as millions of Texans remain without power while the state faces extreme cold.

Meanwhile, ERCOT's recently elected chair and vice chair for the board of directors aren't feeling the chill like we are, reports the Houston Chronicle.

ERCOT Chair Sally Talberg lives in Michigan.

Vice Chair Peter Cramton is a professor at the University of Cologne in Germany and the University of Maryland. According to his LinkedIn page, he lives in Del Mar, California. Cramton has served on the board since 2015.

Yesterday Governor Abbott vowed to prioritize an investigation into the council's preparations for this week's bone-chilling temperatures. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller vocally condemned green energy and our increasing reliance on it as a future energy source.
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