ERCOT

The Texas grid will be more reliant on renewables than ever, according to a recent state assessment. Texas regulators don't like that.

The actions by the Public Utility Commission led to billions of dollars of overcharges, the Austin-based court found. It’s not yet clear if the ruling will affect consumers.

The blackout continues to haunt those who experienced it.

The plan would raise prices and carbon dioxide emissions, and critics say it may not bring reliability.

ERCOT says that, as a division of state government, it has sovereign immunity. Plaintiffs point out that it is also an independent nonprofit, a fact the grid operator sometimes uses to its advantage.

For some folks in Texas, the forecast for this week brings back unpleasant memories of the winter storm and resulting blackouts in February 2021.

A seasonal report from ERCOT shows the grid should hold up under normal winter conditions. But there are scenarios in which the grid operator would need to institute blackouts like it did in 2021.

The report also recommends the Public Utility Commission hire more of its own analysts rather than rely on industry and other outside groups to help make decisions that affect the entire state.

State lawmakers are discussing ways to increase electric grid reliability, but some experts say the proposed changes could hurt renewable energy without bolstering the grid.

On May 4, 1976, a power company based in Texas sent electricity from a substation in Vernon, Texas, to Altus, Okla. By doing so, they were breaking a deal among power companies in Texas to keep electricity within state borders.