Meeting to Provide Information on the Design and Direction of Infrastructure Developments

Austin – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is hosting the second in a series of Informational Sessions on May 17 and 18 at the Holiday Inn South in Austin, Texas. The meetings are part of ERCOT's Market Outreach Program and have been designed to educate the individuals and organizations actively participating in the Texas Electricity Market about Senate Bill 7 implementation changes occurring at ERCOT. Future Sessions are slated for July and September.

The May meeting will provide information on the design and direction of Infrastructure developments at ERCOT, as well as provide a description of the systems and processes being implemented. Pat Wood, the Public Utilities Commissioner of Texas will be the featured keynote speaker. The Session will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, followed by a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Thursday, the meetings will open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 3:15 p.m.

As the ISO for most of the State of Texas, ERCOT is responsible for developing the control and delivery infrastructure of the Texas electrical grid to facilitate competition around the state. ERCOT will serve as the independent organization that will ensure non-discriminatory access to the delivery system for all buyers and sellers of electricity, will serve as the clearinghouse for all electrical transactions, and will ensure that electrical production and delivery are accurately accounted for among the generators and wholesale buyers and sellers in the region. An independent organization is necessary to monitor and assist in the operation of the state's emerging restructured electricity market, set to open on January 1, 2002.

ERCOT, one of ten regional reliability councils in North America, oversees the operation of some 60,000 megawatts of generation in the State of Texas. The primary regulatory authority for ERCOT is the Public Utility Commission of Texas. ERCOT's members include retail consumers, investor and municipally owned electric utilities, rural electric co-ops, river authorities, independent power producers, and power marketers.