A veteran industry executive, Mr. Vegas will take the reins at ERCOT on October 1.
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Pablo Vegas, New ERCOT CEO
Pablo Vegas, a former AEP Texas president, has been selected as the next chief executive for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
A veteran industry executive, Vegas will take the reins on October 1, according to a press release from the grid operator. In 2008, Vegas served as President and Chief Operating Officer for AEP Texas. He also has served in other executive roles at AEP and most recently served as group president for the Indiana-based NiSource Utilities.
“In Pablo, we’ve found a leader for ERCOT with deep experience at one of the nation’s largest regulated utilities, who brings a strong record of operational excellence managing system growth,” said ERCOT board chair Paul Foster.
Vegas has a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Vegas’ early career included working with IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Andersen Consulting, according to biographical information provided by ERCOT.
NiSource, where Vegas most recently served as Executive Vice President, is one of the largest fully regulated utility companies in the United States, and serves approximately 3.5 million natural gas customers and 500,000 electric customers across six states. The company has more than 8,000 employees.
ERCOT interim CEO Brad Jones will continue serving in that capacity through October 1, and in the meantime will assist Vegas as he transitions into the new role. Jones took over on an interim basis after the previous ERCOT CEO, Bill Magness, was fired after the 2021 statewide electricity outages.