“Does your plan guarantee new generation?” asked state Rep.“Yes, sir,” Lake responded. If the agency completes its rule-making as scheduled, Lake said during the hearing, he expects that the plan would be fully implemented by 2026.
“Demand is growing at a pace that is outpacing [quickly available power] generation in the state,” Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid, told lawmakers on Monday. He pointed out that even with the winterization requirements, ERCOT’s own analysis still points out that there are some extreme weather scenarios that would lead to the grid not having enough power to avoid rolling blackouts.
Lake said that the agency was simply moving forward with what the Legislature asked it to do last year with Senate Bill 3 but later said, “We don’t plan on operationalizing any market designs until we receive guidance from the Legislature.”, D-Laredo, said he doesn’t understand why lawmakers in the Senate asked the PUC to hit the brakes on its proposal. “Seems to me we asked you to do something, and you’re doing it,” he said.