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Texas Governor Enacts Grid Reliability Measures, Including Power Plant Weatherization, ERCOT Reforms
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed into law sweeping bills approved by Texas legislators that will require power generators in the state to weatherize against extreme events and revamp organizational oversight of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
Hours before the state’s regular 140-day legislative session dwindled to its end on May 30—and amid high-profile drama related to a GOP priority voting bill—Texas House and Senate lawmakers approved a series of last-minute changes to Senate Bill (SB) 2, related to ERCOT oversight, and SB 3, the state’s reliability statute. The governor signed these measures, which he had deemed “emergency items” for the 87th session, on Tuesday. Legislature also passed House Bill (HB) 4492, a measure intended to help power companies straining under massive wholesale costs in the wake of the February Arctic event during which the Texas grid operator initiated three days of widespread load shedding as it veered precipitously toward system collapse. It is unclear if or when the governor will enact that bill.