Market Information System Grid and Market Conditions

News Release

February 10, 2011

ERCOT Switching Abacus Customers to Alternate Providers

Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc., grid operator for most of the state, announced today that customers of Abacus Resources Energy are being switched this week to alternate providers due to the company’s default on financial obligations to ERCOT.

The number of customers being switched is approximately 7,743, including 7,615 residential and 125 small non-residential customers, three medium non-residential, and no large non-residential customers. The size of the associated load is approximately 383 megawatt-hours per day.

Residential customers by transmission provider are:

Oncor 4,318
AEP Central 1,551
CenterPoint 1,446
Texas New Mexico Power 325
AEP North 103
Sharyland Utilities 0

ERCOT will work with transmission providers and affected retail electric providers to begin the switching process today. Most switching will be completed by Saturday, Feb. 12.

ERCOT has been working closely with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and affected market participants to ensure an efficient and effective transfer of customers to the designated competitive retailer. All accounts associated with Abacus will be gained by one or more designated competitive retailers, and therefore no accounts will be transitioned to providers-of-last-resort (POLRs).

FOR QUESTIONS AND ASSISTANCE

Electric customers who have questions should contact the PUC Consumer Hotline, 1-888-782-8477, or go to the PUC’s Consumer Web Site.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers -- representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. As the independent system operator for the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects more than 46,500 miles of transmission lines and 710+ generation units. It also performs financial settlement for the competitive wholesale bulk-power market and administers retail switching for nearly 8 million premises 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. Its members include consumers, cooperatives, generators, power marketers, retail electric providers, investor-owned electric utilities, transmission and distribution providers and municipally owned electric utilities.

Contact

media@ercot.com

512-275-7432