PUCT Staff File Draft Scope of Competition Report

PUCT Staff filed a draft report on the scope of competition in the electric markets of Texas in Project No. 38264.

The draft does not include legislative recommendations which will be provided internally to the Commissioners.

Staff's report found that the most competitive offers in the Texas retail power market have decreased an average of 13.1% for fixed rates and 17.5% for variable rates, not adjusted for inflation, since 2002. Every competitive area in Texas has variable and one-year fixed rates that are up to three cents per kWh below the national average, Staff added.

Average all-in prices for electricity in ERCOT were $35.09/MWh in 2009 and $43.02 in 2010. In comparison, Staff said that in 2009 all-in prices for electricity were $38 in the California electricity market, $55 in the New York market, $50 in the PJM market, and $59 in the New England market.

Staff reported that the PowerToChoose website recorded 4 million visits from 1.9 million unique users during the 2009-2010 biennium. The Spanish PoderDeEscoger site saw 64,000 visits from 27,000 unique visitors since March 2009, when statistics for the PoderDeEscoger site began being collected.