ERCOT releases partial list of plants that went down February 2

 The Electric Reliability Council of Texas released a partial list of power plants that stopped working on February 2, leading to rolling blackouts across the state. The list only includes power plants owned by companies that waived confidentiality. Technically, plant operating data is secret for 60 days.

Elizabeth Souder: http://dallasne.ws/e5CkIz
Patial list: http://energyandenvironmentblog.dallasnews.com/Outage%20list.docx

Texas electric grid operator's rolling blackouts during freeze bring political scrutiny

 On the coldest day of the year, the state’s electric grid operator relied on a cluster of big, new power plants that had never been tested by a harsh winter storm. Then, when the cold knocked them out, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas called on some backup plants that rarely operate during a freeze. The result: rolling blackouts and, now, greater political scrutiny. Texas lawmakers this week will grill regulators, grid operators and power plant executives. The ERCOT board will meet Monday. The Senate Business and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee will hold a joint hearing Tuesday.

Souder, Jacobson, and Gwynne report: http://dallasne.ws/hoyipC

ERCOT's new nodal system for electricity grid expected to save Texas consumers billions

The Texas electricity grid is about to fundamentally change the way it operates, and here's hoping you won't notice. On Wednesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas will begin assigning the cost of power line congestion to the company causing that congestion. Currently, those costs are socialized across each region.

Souder: http://dallasne.ws/gZ3BIa