The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) ordered rolling, temporary power shutoffs on the morning of February 2 as temperatures plunged below freezing statewide and caused shutdowns of multiple power plants. This event has been the focus of several agencies and lawmakers that have conducted hearings and studies into those power shutoffs to determine possible causes and help prevent the situation from occurring again.
Below is a spotlight of studies and hearings that were conducted in the last few weeks with links, if available, to further details.
House Hearing – February 16th
House State Affairs – Archived Hearing
A detailed timeline of the events on the 2nd was given to the members. Barry Smitherman of the Public Utility Commission (PUC) gave an overview of the events (including ERCOT and other operators.) The PUC will focus on improving communication. Members and witnesses discussed how to prevent this event from happening in the future. HillCo will continue to monitor possible legislation that may be filed as a result of these hearings.
Senate Hearing – February 15th
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, Senate Committee on Natural Resources (Part I) Archived Hearing
Joint Hearing: Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, Senate Committee on Natural Resources (Part II) Archived Hearing
Testimony from Senate Committee hearing: http://bandc.posterous.com/
Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, asked how Texas could make sure this does not happen again. In response, the committee members were told ERCOT has launched a new alert system that will kick in when there’s a danger that power demand could outstrip supply. It will call or send e-mails to PUC commissioners, the governor’s office and the state operations center, which in turn notifies police and fire officials and other first responders. At the outset of the hearing, Fraser stated the underlying problem was “lack of electric generation.”
Texas Rail Road Commission – February 8th
Railroad Commission Emergency item #237 – Archived Hearing
The Railroad Commission was the first public review of the circumstances surrounding the rolling blackouts. It focused solely on natural gas supplies and production. It was stated during the hearing that last week’s freeze provided some teachable moments to the gas industry.
Public Utility Commission Study
The Public Utility Commission of Texas asked the state’s independent energy-market monitor, Daniel Jones, to conduct a probe to see if power generators, pipeline companies or others broke market rules. During the Senate joint committee hearing on Tuesday, it was noted there was no evidence of electric market manipulation, but they will continue to investigate.
ERCOT Updates
An updated list of generation units that experienced a forced outage during Feb. 1- 4 has been posted on the ERCOT website in News/Reports section:
Forced Outage List – Public Version 1.3.doc
The units on the list represent those whose owners or operators have given ERCOT written consent to publicly disclose the unit names.
