ERCOT

The group that controls the state's electrical grid released its seasonal assessment Thursday, saying it should have enough of a reserve to protect against an unexpected jump in demand.

ERCOT doesn’t have the power to mandate major changes. That’s the job of the Public Utility Commission (PUC), which oversees ERCOT and regulates the grid, as well as the Railroad Commission, which regulates the natural gas sector. The Texas legislature oversees all of the organizations, and its efforts to mandate weatherization have stalled.

The state's grid operator included extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment and found that a combination of a severe drought, heat wave and low winds could lead to more power outages. Experts warn this summer could be hot and dry, enhanced by climate change.

The state's grid operator included extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment and found that a combination of a severe drought, heat wave and low winds could lead to more power outages. Experts warn this summer could be hot and dry, enhanced by climate change.

The state’s grid operator warned of a possible energy emergency on the grid Tuesday. It said slightly warmer-than-expected weather was part of the problem, but it was really the fact that coal, gas and nuclear power were offline all at once.

With two months left in the legislative session, Texas state policymakers are split on two key issues related to the deadly power outages in February: electricity repricing and natural gas reforms.

Texans in ERCOT's service area who lost electricity were without power for an average of 42 hours, according to the study. They had been told to prepare for short-term, rolling outages.

Speaker Dade Phelan initially announced that HB 14, authored by State Rep. Craig Goldman, R- Fort Worth, would require gas pipeline operators to weatherize their infrastructure to help ensure reliability during an extreme weather event. But the version introduced three days later would only create a Texas Electricity Supply Chain Mapping Committee.

The bills, which include mandating weatherization of power plants, reforming the ERCOT board and creating a state emergency communications system, are “a work in progress.”

The state’s energy grid operator overcharged power companies by roughly $3 billion after the winter storm — not $16 billion, the chairman of Texas’ utility regulator said Thursday.

The head of Fort Worth's water utility says he got no warning that three out of four of the city's water plants would lose power during the storm in February.

Sen. Ted Cruz’s trip to Cancun may have been a higher profile misstep, but he’s not up for reelection until 2024 – an “eternity” in politics.