Abbott Urges Immediate Action for Power Reliability

Gov. Greg Abbott recently sent a letter to members of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), urging immediate action to improve electric reliability across the state. These directives build on the reforms passed in the 87th legislative session to increase power generation capacity and ensure the reliability of the Texas power grid.

“The objective of these directives is to ensure that all Texans have access to reliable, safe and affordable power, and that this task is achieved in the quickest possible way,” said Abbott. “Through clear communication, transparency and implementation of these critical changes, the PUC and ERCOT can regain the public’s trust, restore ERCOT’s status as a leader in innovation and reliability, and ensure Texans have the reliable electric power they expect and deserve.”

In the letter, Abbott urged the PUC to immediately take the following actions:

• Streamline incentives within the ERCOT market to foster the development and maintenance of adequate and reliable sources of power such as natural gas, coal and nuclear power.
• Allocate reliability costs to generating resources that cannot guarantee availability such as wind or solar power.
• Instruct ERCOT to establish a maintenance schedule for natural gas, coal, nuclear and other non-renewable electricity generators to ensure that there is always an adequate supply of power on the grid to maintain reliable electric service. Order ERCOT to accelerate the development of transmission projects that increase connectivity between existing or new dispatchable generation plants and areas of need.