Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved. 51878. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. ( ERCOT) is an American organization that operates Texas 's electrical grid, the Texas Interconnection, [3] [4] which supplies power to more than 25 million Texas customers and represents 90 percent of the state's electric load. [9], ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation,[12][13] and its members include consumers, electric cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipally owned electric utilities. ", "I commend the ERCOT Board for confirming a leader of Brad's caliber as interim CEO," said PUC Chairman Peter Lake. Hunter and Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, repeatedly questioned Lake about whether the PUCs vote on the market redesign which is expected in January after the public has an opportunity to comment on the plan would be binding and whether the Legislature would have the opportunity to make changes to it. Brad Jones, interim CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, expressed confidence in the state's grid heading into summer. [55], During the February 2021 storm, it emerged that a third of ERCOT's board of directors live outside of Texas; this includes the chair Sally A. Talberg, who lives in Michigan, and the vice chair Peter Cramton. Updated TIS members adopted official operating guides for their interconnected power system and established two monitoring centers within the control centers of two utilities, one in North Texas and one in South Texas. When lawmakers reconvene for another special session in the fall, some are hoping grid-related issues will be on the agenda. September 28, 2021 | Austin, Texas Matt Payne reports on Frisco City Hall and its committees, Collin County Commissioners and McKinney business. Lake and Jones said asking Texans to conserve electricity is a tool they use to ensure reliability of the power supply and should not be viewed as a sign that the grid is unstable. [5] Energy experts say lawmakers could have passed legislation to pay consumers to reduce electricity usage or help Texans better insulate their homes and reduce their electricity usage. [46] By late March, the total number of deaths surpassed 110. Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. | Instead, the PUC plan would prioritize technology that can quickly switch power on and off throughout the grid to balance drops in renewable power generation when the sun doesnt shine or wind doesnt blow. When we call for it, I want Texans understand: Thats not because were going into rolling outages. [34][35], Approximately 4 million customers in Texas were without electricity for various times during the multi-day storm. Houston city council tables vote on Hobby Airport restaurant contract, Georgia star Jalen Carter charged with racing in fatal wreck, Contractor dies after electric shock at Texas City Marathon refinery. On Wednesday, Jan. 26, the League of Women Voters and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, hosted the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' interim CEO Brad Jones on a "listening tour" to explain what's being done to prepare the grid for another winter storm. Breaking down the state's power sources from gas to wind. This caused lawsuits about whether federal regulation then applied, however the judgement was that this was not sufficient. [20] Instead, under the deregulated regime, retailers could contract with providers across the state, creating a complex market. Its our 10th year participating in Amplify, and to celebrate, weve got $15,000 in matching funds from four generous Tribune supporters. [56] This revelation drew considerable anger from the public as well as elected representatives, and the board members' names and photographs were temporarily removed from the ERCOT website due to death threats. However, due to the extreme heat this summer, its now estimated that the peak demand load could exceed 81,000 megawatts. While Magness was fired, Walker resigned after also coming under harsh criticism from lawmakers. Stones received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Business Administration from Louisiana State University. He is a member of the Texas State University Engineering Advisory Board and the American Heart Association Executive Committee. Regional transmission organization in Texas, The Wall Street Journal, "Texas Power Grid Operator Fires CEO," March 4, 2021, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, deregulation of the Texas electricity market, February 2011, a major winter storm impacted Texas, February 1317, 2021 North American winter storm, Deregulation of the Texas electricity market, "Electric Reliability Council Of Texas Inc 10 10 90 - Nonprofit Explorer", "Pablo Vegas, a utility executive in Ohio, named ERCOT's new CEO", "The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed", "Electric Power Monthly - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". Can't keep up with happenings around town? Your donation keeps our trusted reporting free and accessible for all Texans and during a legislative session when lawmakers are set to tackle issues from school choice for K-12 students to school safety improvements to changes in property taxes, its critical that Texans know what lawmakers decisions mean for their futures. Were seeing those problems show themselves today, Jones said. Your donation keeps our trusted reporting free and accessible for all Texans and during a legislative session when lawmakers are set to tackle issues from school choice for K-12 students to school safety improvements to changes in property taxes, its critical that Texans know what lawmakers decisions mean for their futures. Home Tag Electric Reliability Council of Texas . Amplify your impact and donate now. [21] Since deregulation, retail providers and power generators were unregulated, although regulations on transmitters continued to control the placement of electrical lines. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Board of Directors has selected Brad Jones to serve as interim president and CEO for the organization that manages the Texas power grid.. We can help. or. [57][58] The board was also criticized for its meeting days before the storm: though the meeting lasted more than two hours, the members spent less than a minute discussing storm preparations and readiness. Your donation keeps our trusted reporting free and accessible for all Texans and during a legislative session when lawmakers are set to tackle issues from school choice for K-12 students to school safety improvements to changes in property taxes, its critical that Texans know what lawmakers decisions mean for their futures. VP - Commercial Operations | Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Yes, sir, Lake responded. Brad Jones became ERCOT's vice president of Commercial Operations in April 2013. He has over 35 years of experience in the electric energy industry. Additionally, he is a member of the California State Bar and an inactive member of the Colorado State Bar. Theyre discussing it anyway. Brad Jones, interim CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, expressed confidence in the state's grid heading into summer at a Tuesday press conference. Leaders of the Texas power grid tried to assure the public Tuesday that the states grid is ready for summer, when they forecast record-breaking demand for electricity during the hottest stretches. Regulators say it would. Executive Summary. Its our 10th year participating in Amplify, and to celebrate, weve got $15,000 in matching funds from four generous Tribune supporters. Brad Jones, interim CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas . As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 710+ generation units. Does your plan guarantee new generation? asked state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi. If rotating outages are necessary, ERCOT will keep customers updated about the length of time it will be in effect and how the situation is progressing, according to officials. In 1970, ERCOT was formed to comply with NERC requirements. She has reported on several high-profile stories during her career at KSAT and specializes in trending news and things to do around Texas and San Antonio. Confidential proposals were due April 9, and ERCOT received eight proposals that it is evaluating for Board consideration. Pavon's family sued Entergy Texas and ERCOT for gross negligence. His experience includes serving as online content editor at Fort Worth Magazine and city editor at the Killeen Daily Herald. Gov. Murphy received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the United States Air Force Academy, a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Texas at San Antonio. He's a graduate of Texas State University, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the student-run newspaper, The University Star. by Mitchell Ferman P.O. AUSTIN, Texas -- The board overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the independent nonprofit entity that operates and manages the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, named former executive Brad Jones on Tuesday to be interim president and CEO. The TAC is assisted by five standing subcommittees as well as numerous workgroups and task forces. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. [36][37] During the power loss, some Texans were forced to survive in record freezing temperatures down to 2F (19C). The ERCOT Board of Directors today (April 27) announced the selection of Brad Jones to serve as the interim President and CEO for the Texas grid operator serving 90 percent of the state, effective May 4, 2021. State leaders continue to probe what went wrong with the power grid during the Feb. winter storm and what can be done to keep it from happening again. July 13, 20214 PM Central. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) command center in Taylor. It also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for nearly 8 million premises in competitive choice areas. San Antonio area in for two rounds of winter weather this weekend, These San Antonio-area schools have announced changes for Monday due to expected wintry weather, These San Antonio-area businesses have announced closures, delays on Monday due to inclement weather, Mondays vaccination appointments at Alamodome, WellMed clinics rescheduled due to expected wintry weather in San Antonio, Now is the time to prepare your vehicle, gather emergency supplies before wintry weather hits. The same is true for critical infrastructure like hospitals, he said: utilities are trying to centralize those lines "so the power goes to the hospital, but those other 100 customers that are on that same line can now help in reducing their load.". ", "Texas largely relies on natural gas for power. Its our 10th year participating in Amplify, and to celebrate, weve got $15,000 in matching funds from four generous Tribune supporters. During the war, the grid was interconnected to other states and excess power generation was sent to industries on the Gulf Coast, providing a more reliable supply of electricity for production of metal and other material needed for the war.[19]. Electric Reliability Council of Texas has 125 employees, of which 19 are in a leadership position. On March 10, 2021, ERCOT provided an update to the Public Utility Commission of Texas on its governance status. [31][32] Some retail electricity providers were possibly facing huge losses or bankruptcy,[33] and customers of Griddy reported receiving absurdly high electric bills. The rule, if implemented, would punish those who failed to produce the power they promised with financial penalties. He pointed out that even with the winterization requirements, ERCOTs own analysis still points out that there are some extreme weather scenarios that would lead to the grid not having enough power to avoid rolling blackouts. Copyright 2021 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Texas is likely to see a hotter and drier summer than normal this year, according to an April climate outlook from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 2021 is likely to rank among the 10 warmest years on record globally. Greg Abbott did not include improving Texas main power grid in his 11-item agenda for the special legislative session that began earlier this month, so lawmakers cannot pass new grid-related laws. 9:50 AM Dec 2, 2021 CST Jon Taylor of Austin is the Corporate Vice President of Fab Engineering and Public Affairs at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, where he is responsible for factory engineering for operations including safety, quality, cost, and productivity for all production equipment and supporting personnel. Support the free press, so we can support Austin. Jordan Vonderhaar for. Solar: 5,381 MWh; ", One of the main questions from attendees was on equitable load-shedding during a blackout; many emailed asking why Downtown's lights stayed on. "He is an experienced leader and understands the ERCOT vision and mission. Any light through the door indicates a penetration of cold air coming into the home. Many are no longer cost competitive. He is a former board member of March of Dimes, Gulf Coast Power Association, Atlas Scholars, and St. Peters Health Partners. The scene in North Austin on Feb. 16, 2021, following the devastating winter storm. by Erin Douglas Brad Jones of Liberty Hill is the Interim CEO of ERCOT. On Tuesday, Jones released a 60-point plan aimed at building lawmakers and the publics confidence in the power grids reliability. Dec. 5, 20223 PM Central. [52], The ERCOT organization is governed by a board of directors made up of independent members, consumers and representatives from each of ERCOT's electric market segments. Natural Gas: 125,704 MWh; Other senators questioned why in June, two weeks after the regular legislative session ended, some Texas power plants unexpectedly went offline, spurring ERCOT to ask Texans to set thermostats higher during a heat wave to conserve energy. "He is an experienced leader and. The board oversees major functions of ERCOT: open access to the transmission grid on nondiscriminatory terms, system reliability and adequacy, and . Despite the demand being higher than estimated, Jones is hopeful about getting through the remainder of the summer but he does have some concerns about older thermal generators that ERCOT has asked be up and running as much as possible. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. What ERCOT did by making the announcement on Friday was a greater level of transparency that did not exist before [Winter Storm] Uri, Abbott said. He is a 2017 graduate of the Frank W. and Sue Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas in Denton. By Matt Payne He has over 30 years of experience as a process engineer. Senate Bills 2 and 3 included a few key changes to the grid that experts said will begin to address some issues, such as requiring power companies to upgrade plants to withstand more extreme weather and creating a statewide emergency alert system. [23], During a major cold-weather event in mid-February 2021, ERCOT declared a statewide emergency, due to a 34,000 MW shortfall in generation that caused widespread blackouts. [27] At first, rotating outages lasting from 10 to 40 minutes were imposed on millions of customers, but those outages lasted many hours for some and over 48 hours for others, while millions more were spared from any hardship. We need a reliability standard.. Jones responded that Downtown's grid is a sort of mesh structure, which makes it more reliable for those businesses but also precludes Austin Energy from turning off any one feeder. Nuclear: 69,871 MWh; State Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said some of the fault lies with state lawmakers, who have failed over the last decade to implement meaningful grid-related improvements following a severe winter storm in 2011 that highlighted that power companies and natural gas producers hadnt properly prepared their facilities for cold weather. Amplify your impact and donate now. ERCOT hires Pablo Vegas as new top executive to help manage Texas' power grid. Box 12428 You can learn more at nbutexas.com and on NBUs Facebook page. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is a nonprofit organization that ensures reliable electric service for 90 percent of the state of Texas. During PUC Chair Peter Lakes testimony before the House State Affairs Committee on Monday, lawmakers questioned whether the proposal would actually achieve what many Republican members appeared to most want, and what Lt. Gov. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Independent System Operator from October 2015 - October 2018. Brad Jones will fill the role in an interim capacity in early May. Create new account. The fastest-growing sources of power in fast-growing Texas are wind turbines and solar panels, which typically dont provide as much power during the winter months as during the summer. In a Monday committee hearing, lawmakers questioned whether a Public Utility Commission proposal to redesign Texas electricity market would lead to the building of more natural-gas-fired power plants. Wholesale electricity prices increased 65 percent in 2021, without taking into account the blackouts cost, due in large part . | Nate Murphy of San Antonio is Senior Counsel for Valero. We manage the flow of Texas' power supply. Did Texas energy regulators fail to mandate winter protections? See more of Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Facebook. The agency has already implemented the winterization regulation the Legislature passed in 2021. [49] An 11-year-old boy, Cristian Pavon, who died of suspected hypothermia was among the deaths caused by ERCOT's grid system. ERCOT's interim president appeared before a Senate committee on Tuesday to discuss efforts to improve the state's electrical grid. Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand. [20] The 1999 deregulation was aimed at counteracting a shortage of generation capacity in the state. Recognizing the reliability advantages of remaining interconnected, TIS members continued to operate and develop the interconnected grid. There are many things that are on us, Creighton said. Dan Patrick has already demanded: a guarantee that more natural gas plants will be built in Texas. [28], Texans outside the ERCOT-controlled grid had a different power experience. Lt. Gov. Double your gift when you give by 6 p.m. Thursday. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 and is urging consumers and businesses to limit their electricity use as much as possible on Sunday. He implored his colleagues to focus on the task at hand: What I hope, members, is that we can try to figure out how to get Texas to the next step, to the next decade [because] the demand continues to go up, and continues to go up.. That's the difference.". Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. On Tuesday, Abbott amended his statement in regards to this week's ice storm: "No one can guarantee there won't be a load shed event. Now, officials are working to determine how the Texas power market will create and meet the reliability standard also mandated by Senate Bill 3. During a press conference last week, Vegas and Lake both emphasized that the proposed changes would be technologically agnostic and would not prioritize one source of power generation over another. Tuesdays hearing was more of a status update on the power grid, but it was the first public opportunity for lawmakers to question the grid operators interim president, Brad Jones, and the three-member board of the Public Utility Commission, which oversees Jones and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Different power experience, where he served as president and Chief Executive of. For nearly 8 million premises in competitive choice areas 's grid heading into summer on natural gas for.... Nerc requirements Hill is the interim CEO of the California state Bar and an inactive member of Texas... Journalism at the Killeen daily Herald caused lawsuits about whether federal regulation then applied however... 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