Texas A/S Provider to Pay $52,000 Under Settlement Related to Non-Spin Deployment

South Texas Electric Cooperative, Inc. would pay $52,000 under a settlement with Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas to resolve STEC's alleged failure to adhere to ERCOT protocols related to non-spinning reserve service (NSRS) energy deployment criteria.

Specifically, Staff had alleged that the STEC resources RAYBURN_RAYBURG1 and RAYBURN_RAYBURG2 failed to reach their Low Sustained Limit (LSL) within 25 minutes on either March 9, 2012 or March 31, 2012, as required by ERCOT Protocol § 8.1.1.4.3(3)(b).

On March 9, 2012, STEC attempted to transfer its NSRS responsibility from its RAYBURN_RAYBURG1 and RAYBURN_RAYBURG2 units to three Pearsall units that were already on-line. However, the Pearsall units were already operating near their High Sustainable Limit, and thus no additional capacity was available to be dispatched as NSRS. Therefore, Staff alleged that STEC did not successfully transfer the obligation, and failed to dispatch to its NSRS resource responsibility within 30 minutes of a dispatch instruction, as required by ERCOT Protocol § 6.5.7.6.2.3(4).

On March 31, 2012, STEC attempted to transfer its NSRS responsibility from its RAYBURN_RAYBURG1 and RAYBURN_RAYBURG2 units to its combined cycle plant that was online. Unlike the March 9, 2012 transfer, STEC was successful in transferring its NSRS responsibility to its combined cycle plant because sufficient capacity existed to cover the NSRS responsibility on that unit. However, Staff alleged that STEC was still late in meeting the 25 minute Protocol requirement in § 8.1.1.4.3(3)(b).

Docket 41822