Senate Committee Passes SB 6, Big Questions Remain: Grid Roundup #45

SB 6 passed Senate B&C yesterday; one-third of the gas & coal fleet is offline as high temps hit Texas; energy efficiency comment deadline next week; PUC considers utilities' insurance costs.

In this issue:

• Senate Bill 6 passes unanimously out of Senate Committee, doesn’t do much to address large load growth or transmission cost allocation;

• The Committee Substitute for SB388 did, in fact, remove batteries from the definition of “dispatchable” (I received a lot of questions on this, full quote from the bill author Senator Phil King below);

• We’ll need those batteries today! 26,000 megawatts of thermal plants won’t be dispatched today. They’re offline while temperatures are in the high 80s/low 90s in much of Texas today, March peak demand record could fall;

• Comment deadline for energy efficiency cost-effectiveness is next week, key opportunity for stakeholders and the public to raise important demand side issues;

• PUC opens docket on utility insurance costs and issues.

I’ll hold a Substack Chat from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CT today. Come ask whatever questions you have about the Legislature, the PUC, ERCOT, utilities, or anything else on your mind. I’ll also share updates about the PUC Open Meeting.

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