ERCOT Press Releases

May 21, 2013 03:25 PM -- ERCOT Board of Directors receives updates on summer preparedness, West Texas congestion

May 21, 2013

MAY 21, 2013, AUSTIN, TX -- As the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) prepares for the demands of summer, its Board of Directors recently received updates on expected conditions and the grid operator’s efforts to maintain a reliable, efficient electric system amid growing demands for power.

ERCOT’s summer outlook, released earlier this month, foresees tight operating reserves in the months ahead. Meanwhile, parts of the West Texas grid continue to experience congestion ...

May 16, 2013 03:46 PM -- Renewable energy generation in Texas continues to grow, up 7 percent from 2011

May 16, 2013

Wind power continues to lead, with notable gains in solar generation

May 16, 2013, AUSTIN, TX -- Electric generation from renewable resources in Texas increased 7 percent in 2012, compared to 2011, with capacity up by about 16 percent.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) provided these updates to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) this week in the 2012 Annual Report on the Renewable Energy Credit Trading Program.

Generato...

May 01, 2013 10:24 PM -- ERCOT expects tight summer conditions, long-term outlook shows improvement

May 01, 2013

AUSTIN, TX, May 1, 2013 — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), grid operator for most of the state, is preparing for a hot summer as it continues to evaluate future resource adequacy.

ERCOT today released its final summer Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA), which anticipates tight conditions this summer, along with the semiannual update to its long-term Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors at its March meeting approved a pilot for the upcoming summer that will expand its options to reduce electric use during peak summer conditions when demand is high and power supplies are tight.

The Weat...

Mar 19, 2013 04:11 PM -- ERCOT announces new vice presidents in two key areas

Mar 19, 2013

March 19, 2013, Austin, TX -- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors today ratified the appointment of new vice presidents for Grid Planning and Operations and Commercial Operations.

Ken McIntyre, ERCOT’s director of Standards and Protocol Compliance, will become the vice president of Grid Planning and Operations. He will oversee all planning activities and control center operations, succeeding Kent Saathoff, who plans to continue his ERCOT service as an executive advisor. McIntyre joined ERCOT in 2007, after working in the Australian power industr...

Mar 01, 2013 10:06 PM -- ERCOT expects another tight summer

Mar 01, 2013

Conservation needed on hottest days

March 1, 2013, Austin, TX -- The amount of electricity available to serve consumer demand will be tight again this summer, according to information released today by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the power grid and manages the electric market for most of the state.

"Current estimates indicate that we likely will see very tight conditions on the hottest days," said Kent Saathoff, vice president of Grid Operations and System Planning for ERCOT. "There is a significant chance that ERCOT will need to...

Feb 13, 2013 05:28 PM -- Winter wind propels ERCOT to a new wind record of 9,481 MW

Feb 13, 2013

FEB. 13, 2013, AUSTIN, TX -- A strong weekend cold front that brought needed rain to much of Texas also propelled the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to a new wind power record, with wind generation providing 9,481 MW of power at 7:08 p.m. on Feb. 9.

The generation provided nearly 28 percent of the system load in ERCOT at the time and surpassed the previous record of Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors at its January meeting re-elected Craven Crowell chair and Judy Walsh vice chair for 2013.

Crowell and Walsh both began serving as unaffiliated board members in 2011 and were elected to their current posts in January 2012.

Crowell’s ex...

Jan 16, 2013 12:49 PM -- Statement of ERCOT CEO Trip Doggett regarding Jan. 7, 2013, letter from NERC CEO Gerry W. Cauley

Jan 16, 2013

ERCOT understands the concerns expressed by Mr. Cauley on behalf of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). In recent years, ERCOT’s long-term Capacity, Demand and Reserves report has indicated that planning reserve margins could drop well below our 13.75 percent target within the coming years. In fact, our December 2012 report indicates that the planning reserve margin could fall to 13.2 percent as soon as this coming summer and will continue to tighten over time without investment in new generation resources and demand response in this region.

We take this...

Jan 10, 2013 11:42 PM -- ERCOT transmission studies identify upcoming transmission projects and potential long-term needs

Jan 10, 2013

Jan. 10, 2013, AUSTIN, TX — As electric demand continues to grow in much of Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), grid operator for most of the state, expects Texas transmission providers to complete improvement projects totaling $8.9 billion by the end of 2017.

The recently released Electric System Constraints and Needs Report identifies existing and potential constraints that could create reliability concerns or increase power costs for consumer...

Jan 10, 2013 11:42 PM -- 2012 energy use in ERCOT region down nearly 3 percent from 2011

Jan 10, 2013

Jan. 10, 2013, AUSTIN, TX -- Electric use in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region decreased 2.7 percent in 2012 compared to consumption in 2011, which included the state’s hottest summer on record.

This information, along with other information about power use, fuel mix and demand, are included in the 2012 Demand and Energy Report released today by ERCOT, the grid operator and manager of the electric market for most of Texas.

As the population and the economy...

Jan 02, 2013 09:09 PM -- Holiday cold front brings new wind power record to ERCOT

Jan 02, 2013

JAN. 2, 2012, AUSTIN, TX -- The high winds that sent a chill through Texas last week also contributed to a new wind power record, with wind generation providing 8,638 MW of power at 3:11 p.m. on Dec. 25.

This output represented nearly 26 percent of system load in ERCOT at the time. This new record is 117 MW higher than the previous 8,521 MW record set on Nov. 10.

More than 6,600 MW of the new record included wind power from West Texas wind farms, followed by more than 1,600 MW from wind farms along the Texas Coast. One MW is enough electricity to power about...

Dec 20, 2012 05:52 PM -- ERCOT board extends demand response pilot, approves price floor for generators

Dec 20, 2012

AUSTIN, TX, Dec. 20, 2012 -- Consumers who want to get paid to help reduce electric use on the Texas grid during emergencies can still participate in an ongoing pilot project that has been extended through summer 2013.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) Board of Directors voted at its Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) indicates that the future outlook is improving, but the amount of electricity available for extreme temperatures or other emergencies may be below preferred targets by next summer.

"The projected reserve margin for summer 2013 has dropped slightly since May, but we are seeing healthier reserve margins in fut...

Dec 06, 2012 03:46 PM -- Sen. Troy Fraser to address ERCOT members

Dec 06, 2012

Annual membership meeting set for Tuesday, Dec. 11

Dec. 6, 2012, AUSTIN, TX -- Texas Sen. Troy Fraser is scheduled to address members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) at its 42nd annual membership meeting Tuesday, Dec. 11.

The membership meeting convenes at 11 a.m. at the Marriott - South Austin Airport, 4415 South IH-35. The agenda includes election of ERCOT Board of Directors and announcement of Technical Advisory Committee members for 2013. Sen. Fraser is scheduled to speak at noon.

Sen. Fraser, whose District 24 covers a 21-count...