Greg Casar, AOC propose connecting ERCOT to other power grids - KXAN.com

Greg Casar, AOC propose connecting ERCOT to other power grids | KXAN Austin

WASHINGTON (KXAN) — Two Democratic members of Congress put forward a plan Wednesday that would require Texas to connect to other larger power grids in the nation, potentially upending the state’s standalone approach to producing and overseeing its own energy market.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, announced he filed a bill called the “Connect the Grid Act” alongside U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. The proposal calls for several changes, including a mandate for interconnection between the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the country’s two other major power grids.

“It’s time for us to break up with blackouts,” Casar said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon outside of the Capitol.

He shared that his bill would require about a dozen to three dozen megawatts of transfer capacity from Texas to its neighbors. It would also bring ERCOT under the purview of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, also known as FERC. Casar said this would create more oversight of energy rates.

The legislation would also require FERC and the Department of Energy to conduct a study on the benefits of interconnection with Mexico.

A spokesperson for ERCOT released a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying there would be no comment at that time about legislation that has not been filed yet.

However, the spokesperson added, “Any proposal to interconnect ERCOT to other regions raises potentially significant economic and reliability considerations that the Public Utility Commission of Texas is best situated to evaluate in its role as the state agency responsible for overseeing the design of the ERCOT market and the development of the ERCOT grid. The Commission has recently initiated a proceeding to consider issues relating to interconnections to other regions. ERCOT will continue to participate in that proceeding and looks forward to the Commission’s guidance.”

KXAN also reached out Tuesday to Gov. Greg Abbott’s office for comment about Casar’s proposal. This story will be updated once any responses are shared.

Ocasio-Cortez pointed out how this legislation could impact the fight against climate change. She noted if ERCOT interconnected with the other power grids, then the rest of the country could access solar and wind power produced in the state.

“Texas has so much to offer…and has been a leader in solar and wind production,” she said. “They can help support the grid of the rest of the United States.”

Texans largely had little familiarity with the operations of ERCOT, which manages the Texas power grid. However, that all changed when a deadly winter storm in February 2021 left millions without heat or lights for days. After that disaster, state lawmakers focused some of their efforts on enacting reforms to create a more reliable power grid and rebuild trust with the public.

Since that time, ERCOT has largely maintained system-wide reliability, but Texans have gotten spooked a few times when ERCOT asked them to conserve power during high-demand stretches of intense heat and frigid cold, including just last month.

At the end of last year, CEO Pablo Vegas told KXAN that ERCOT performed more than 1,500 inspections of power plants in the last two years and expects to complete 500 more this winter. He highlighted these as part of ERCOT’s ongoing efforts to better prepare facilities and provide more comfort to Texans about the grid’s strength.

The 2021 fallout did lead to critics calling for changes that would allow Texas to tap more into the nation’s two other major power grids so that ERCOT can access more resources when needed. However, no serious efforts to do so have ever progressed.

Casar is perhaps hoping his legislation could generate more conversation about that again when he laid out its provisions Wednesday. However, a proposal backed by mostly Democrats may not gain much traction in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives during a contentious election year.

Casar and Ocasio-Cortez are longtime political allies. She even came to campaign with him at an event in Austin when he first ran for Congress in 2022. Casar’s name will once again appear on the ballot for voters on March 5, where he’s running unopposed in the Democratic primary for the U.S. House District 35 seat.