BLOG: Citing Ratepayer Risk, PUC Rejects Expensive Wind Project

A multi-billion-dollar multi-state renewable energy project has lost a key vote at the Texas Public Utility Commission — a development that had led to the cancellation of what otherwise would have been the nation’s largest wind facility. The proposed 2,000-megawatt...

BLOG: Big Batteries Raise Texas-Sized Policy Questions at PUC

Utility-scale energy storage — that is, those big battery arrays that can serve entire neighborhoods — hold great promise both for energy conservation and grid reliability. But the quickly advancing technology also raises tough regulatory challenges, especially for...

BLOG: Will Mexico Developments Undercut Authority over ERCOT?

ERCOT is an island unto itself — that is, unless the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission takes over. And that at least remote possibility has captured the attention of the state’s top utility regulator. “I’m very, very concerned about it,” said Public Utility...

BLOG: Hurricane Harvey Restoration Update

Hurricane Harvey knocked out service at power plants and across giant transmission lines — but the ERCOT electric grid weathered the storm. All told, power stopped flowing across six of the state’s massive 345 kilovolt lines as well as across 91 138 kV lines and 138...

BLOG: Hurricane Harvey Safety Advisory & Power Restoration Update

Remember: always exercise extreme caution when dealing with electricity during a flood. “When possible, we recommend that you contact a licensed electrician to advise and assist during flood conditions in turning power off at the breaker box and back on,” advises...