AUSTIN, Texas — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) released its “Roadmap to Improving Grid Reliability” Tuesday to address “operational improvements to the Texas power grid.”
ERCOT delivered the plan to Gov. Greg Abbott, members of the Texas Legislature and the Public Utility Commission. It is a 60-item roadmap that will be updated regularly throughout 2021, according to a press release.
“Change is required for ERCOT to continue to reliably serve the millions of customers and businesses that depend on us,” ERCOT Interim President and CEO Brad Jones said in the press release. “We have extensively reviewed our processes to better serve Texans and will continue to work very closely with the PUC to ensure we’re aligned in these efforts. These changes will benefit all Texans and support continued economic growth for the state of Texas."
Initiatives in the roadmap include bringing more generation online to address supply and demand and purchasing more reserve power for days with uncertain weather. ERCOT will also require CEOs to submit a letter certifying their companies have completed weatherization preparations twice a year.
Proposing a new rule requiring generators to provide more frequent operational updates, assessing the “need for on-site fuel supplies for some generators,” starting to perform unannounced testing, and addressing transmission constraints in the Rio Grande Valley are also a part of the roadmap as well, according to the press release.
“ERCOT’s roadmap puts a clear focus on protecting customers while also ensuring that Texas maintains free-market incentives to bring new generation to the state,” PUC Chairman and ERCOT Board Member Peter Lake said. "Texans deserve a more reliable grid, and we're aggressively moving to make that a reality."
Abbott signed two bills to reform ERCOT and weatherize the Texas power grid in June. On July 6, he wrote a letter to the PUC asking them to take immediate action to improve electric reliability across the state.
The full roadmap is available on ERCOT’s website.
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