Texas Senate Passes Bill To Grant Texas PUC Authority To Review Interconnections That Import/Export ERCOT Power

The Texas Senate earlier this week passed SB 933, which would grant the Public Utility Commission of Texas with authority to review transmission interconnections that enable imports or exports from the ERCOT power grid

The bill has now been sent to the House, where it awaits action.

Specifically, the engrossed version SB 933 provides that, "a person, including an electric utility or municipally owned utility, may not interconnect a facility to the ERCOT transmission grid that enables additional power to be imported into or exported out of the ERCOT power grid unless the electric utility or municipally owned utility obtains a certificate from the commission stating that public convenience and necessity requires or will require the interconnection."

The PUC shall apply PURA Section 37.056, governing the CCN process, in reviewing any such interconnection application, and the PUC, "must determine that the application is consistent with the public interest before granting the certificate."