Emergency Response Service

ERCOT procures Emergency Response Service (ERS) by selecting qualified loads and generators (including aggregations of loads and generators) to make themselves available for deployment in an electric grid emergency. ERS is a valuable emergency service designed to decrease the likelihood of the need for firm Load shedding (a.k.a, rolling blackouts.) Customers meeting ERS criteria may offer to provide the service through their qualified scheduling entities (QSE).

ERCOT procures ERS four times during the ERS calendar year which begins with December and ends in November.  The Standard Contract Terms (SCT) are as follows: December-March, April-May, June-September and October-November.  For each SCT ERCOT procures ERS according to two different response times—thirty minutes ("ERS-30") and ten minutes ("ERS-10").  

ERS is authorized by Public Utility Commission Substantive Rule §25.507.