ERCOT says power grid is prepared for summer but encourages change as Texas population increases
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Public Utility Commission of Texas are holding a press conference on Wednesday in Austin to update Texans on the status of the grid ahead of the upcoming summer.
Texas lawmakers ask state agency to delay power market redesign until after 2023 legislative session
In a Monday committee hearing, lawmakers questioned whether a Public Utility Commission proposal to redesign Texasโ electricity market would lead to the building of more natural-gas-fired power plants. Regulators say it would.
Power companies required to better prepare plants for winter in first phase of rule approved by Texas regulators
The state Public Utility Commission adopted a rule โ which experts first recommended a decade ago following a winter storm โ requiring power companies to use โbest effortsโ to ensure plants can operate in the winter.
Texas power crisis prompts Texas House panel to advance several bills, including one requiring plants to prep for extreme weather
Several bills responding to Texasโ February power outages โ including one mandating that power plants prepare facilities for extreme weather and another reforming the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board โ were advanced by the Texas House State Affairs Committee on Thursday. The bill to mandate weatherization of power plants, House Bill 11, would give authority to the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates the electric industry, to develop and enforce standards to prepare power plants for extreme weather. AdThe power outages last month began largely due to power plants tripping offline in extreme cold temperatures โ most plants in Texas are not built to withstand such conditions. House Bill 12 would direct a study and implementation of a statewide emergency alert system for power outages. The body would maintain records of facilities critical to maintaining fuel service to power plants during emergencies.
Commissioner Shelly Botkin resigns from Public Utility Commission of Texas after winter storm
HOUSTON โ Shelly Botkin joins a long list of commissioners who have resigned from their roles with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the stateโs electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, after the deadly winter storm in February. Botkin turned in her resignation Monday, which was effective immediately. READ: Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outagesShe was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 11, 2018, to serve as a commissioner on the PUC, for a term set to expire on Sept. 1, 2025, according to the Public Utility Commission. Prior to being appointed, Botkins worked for ERCOT as director of corporate communications and government relations.
PUC votes to not disconnect power service, but customers could begin seeing late fees on water and energy bills soon
The meeting started by detouring a bit and, instead of taking public comments, the PUC answered some questions from callers which included billing questions. Second, PUC representatives said they will likely not re-price the energy market like some senators and independent market monitors had suggested. ERCOTโs vice president Kenan Ogelman explained to state senators those storm-related prices are why it is owed more than $2 billion from energy companies that cannot pay their bill. He said the storm was causing fluctuating prices, which can inadvertently put a power producer in reserve status. ERCOTโs Technical Advisory Committee has scheduled a special meeting at 1 p.m. to review the cold weather event.
Fired ERCOT leader refuses more than $800,000 severance pay in storm aftermath
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)AUSTIN, Texas โ Bill Magness, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO who was terminated by his board Wednesday, said he will not seek or accept severance pay, according to a spokesperson. According to the terms of his employment contract, his severance pay would have been equivalent to one year of his current base salary, which is more than $800,000. She had come under sharp criticism from lawmakers after largely blaming Texasโ power outages on ERCOT. Magness, who endured more than five hours of questioning by state senators on Thursday, was criticized for the organizationโs winter storm preparations. Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel.
ERCOT overcharged power companies $16 billion for electricity during winter freeze, firm says
That decision to keep prices high, the market monitor described, resulted in $16 billion in additional costs to Texas power companies. AdIn Texas, wholesale power prices are determined by supply and demand โ when demand is high, ERCOT allows prices to go up. Companies then buy power from the wholesale market to deliver to consumers, which they are contractually obligated to do. Because ERCOT failed to bring prices back down on time, that meanings companies had to buy power in the market at inflated prices. โWe recognize that revising the prices retroactively is not ideal.โA spokesperson for ERCOT was not immediately available to comment.
Gov. Greg Abbott taps new head of Texas utility regulator in wake of power outages
Governor Greg Abbott has named Arthur DโAndrea chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Credit: Texas Public Utility CommissionGov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday promoted Arthur DโAndrea to chair the stateโs utility regulator, replacing the Public Utility Commission leader who resigned earlier this week following widespread power outages in February. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the stateโs grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Abbott can now choose who heโd like to join DโAndrea and Commissioner Shelly Botkin, who Abbott appointed to the PUC in 2018.
Gov. Abbott names new chairman of Public Utility Commission of Texas after deadly winter storm
Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the new chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas after the former chairman resigned following the deadly winter storm in February. READ: Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outagesAdDโAndrea has served as a commissioner for PUC since November 2017. He was an assistant general counsel for Abbottโs office and served as an assistant solicitor general for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. He is also a member of the State Bar of Texas. DโAndrea received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law, according to a release.
Public Utility Commission of Texas holds open meeting addressing top-of-mind topics like water and electricity
The Public Utility Commission of Texas, or P.U.C., held a meeting Wednesday with a number of items on their agenda pertaining to the failure of the Texas Power Grid. However, before the meeting kicked off, P.U.C. Commissioner Arthur C. DโAndrea stated the agencyโs commitment to serving Texas. Agenda Item 16 stated they would discuss the investigation into the winter storm fiasco. However, no details of any investigation were revealed, although, officials did discuss the plausibility of an audit of energy used and prices paid by consumers.
Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outages
The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the stateโs electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Governor Greg Abbott-appointed commissioners came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texasโ power crisis that left millions of people in the dark for days and claimed the lives of dozens. Dan Patrick called for PUC chairwoman DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign. The PUC is charged with overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, a nonprofit entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of the state. Lawmakers probed how much information she had on whether the stateโs power system could withstand winter storms, and questioned why she didnโt raise concerns about the possibility of outages sooner.
ERCOT CEO addresses Texas winter storm after 6 board officials announce resignations
Craig Ivey, who had applied to fill a vacancy on the board, has withdrawn his application, according to the filing. In a letter signed by Talberg, Cramton, Bulger and Hepper, the group said they are resigning after recent concerns about out-of-state ERCOT board members. โWe have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT. AdโBefore we step aside, we are beginning the process of reviewing this extreme cold weather event and resulting power crisis. ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texasโ power infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be devastatingly false.
Internet and phone services in rural Texas threatened as state slashes subsidies for providers
More than a million Texas households are in rural areas where network phone service is more expensive to provide, with fewer customers and longer distances between them. Some rural Texans are facing the threat of losing phone and internet service after the state recently slashed subsidies that help providers offer service in sparsely populated areas. More than a million Texas households are in rural areas where network phone service is more expensive to provide, with fewer customers and longer distances between them. Normally, the state reimburses telecommunication companies for providing service in these areas through the Texas Universal Service Fund. โOil and gas, agriculture, timber โ all of that begins in a location in rural Texas.