PRESS RELEASE
October 31, 2000
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ERCOT Releases Report on Existing and Potential Electrical System Constraints and Needs

WHO: Members of the media and the general public
WHAT:

Release of the "Report On Existing And Potential Electric System Constraints And Needs Within ERCOT."

WHEN: Available immediately
WHERE:

This report can be downloaded at the ERCOT Web site under Reports and Presentations. Questions may be directed to Ken Donohoo or Julie Ringling at 512-248-3140.
WHY:

There are a number of existing limitations in the transmission system in ERCOT that have restricted service to load, have affected market participants' ability to change electricity providers, and have limited market transactions. This report contains information that describes current known ERCOT system constraints. It depicts major transmission projects under study to relieve these constraints, and includes existing transmission projects recommended by ERCOT that address some of those constraints. The report also fulfills the requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Act (PURA), as amended by Senate Bill 7 in 1999.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to 21 million Texas customers – representing 85 percent of the state’s electric load and 75 percent of the Texas land area. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects 38,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units. ERCOT also manages financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers customer switching for 6 million Texans in competitive choice areas. ERCOT is a membership-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature. ERCOT's members include consumers, cooperatives, independent generators, independent power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities (transmission and distribution providers), and municipal-owned electric utilities.

Contact
Dottie Roark 512-225-7024