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Old 02-19-2021, 01:45 PM
 
11,801 posts, read 8,012,998 times
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I guess the next question is, who really dropped the ball here? Of course, ERCOT didn’t winterize equipment. I’m assuming to do so they would need to increase rates. I don’t know how those are regulated or if they have to seek state legislation and approval to do so, or if the state has some specific fund for infrastructural maintenance and improvement in terms of the power grid. It seems both were aware that the equipment needed to be winterized from the incident back in 2011. Did ERCOT ever request to make those improvements and were those improvements turned down by the state or do they even need to go as far as the state make them? If the state did foul up, does that fall upon the Governor in any way or were there others with more oversight that chose to sweep it under the carpet?
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Old 02-19-2021, 01:48 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
15,269 posts, read 35,637,527 times
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Too long to answer here, but ERCOT does not make anyone do anything, more or less. It is a deregulated market. Make power and sell it to 'the grid' (via an auction), where providers buy it and sell to consumers (usually via fixed contracts). The design of the power plants is not regulated by the state, other than for, say environmental and such.

The state legislature would have to (and should have long ago) set better minimum standards to allow generators to 'play' on the exchange.
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Old 02-20-2021, 09:28 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trainwreck20 View Post
Too long to answer here, but ERCOT does not make anyone do anything, more or less. It is a deregulated market. Make power and sell it to 'the grid' (via an auction), where providers buy it and sell to consumers (usually via fixed contracts). The design of the power plants is not regulated by the state, other than for, say environmental and such.

The state legislature would have to (and should have long ago) set better minimum standards to allow generators to 'play' on the exchange.
they can do it via contract instead of by law. For example providers get penalties if they cant supply the energy. Those penalties need to be high enough to incentivize them even when rates are sky high.

If I sold at 30 and have to buy at $9000 I am highly incentivized to make sure my capacity doesnt go offline.
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Old 02-20-2021, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Austin
15,632 posts, read 10,390,278 times
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pushing the cost of buying spot market electricity onto users because of epic failures by ercot, the company's board/management/leadership chose not to winterize equipment which mostly caused the electricity grid failure, is unfair.

ercot needs to eat the cost of buying the electricity during this crisis, not their customers.
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Old 02-20-2021, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Texas
663 posts, read 433,800 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mopac1980 View Post
I read somewhere that they're charging thousands of $ for a single electricity bill all because of the cold weather and the power outage.

I'm gonna be moving to Austin, TX on the 27th and do not want to pay thousands of $ just for an electric bill.
Texas has multiple electric company options unless you will be moving inside the city limits of Austin. In that case you have to get electricity from the City.

Power To Choose | Home
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Old 02-20-2021, 10:43 AM
 
Location: Round Rock, Texas
13,448 posts, read 15,481,027 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by texan2yankee View Post
pushing the cost of buying spot market electricity onto users because of epic failures by ercot, the company's board/management/leadership chose not to winterize equipment which mostly caused the electricity grid failure, is unfair.

ercot needs to eat the cost of buying the electricity during this crisis, not their customers.
Exactly. I find the price increases during this man made disaster disgusting and I hope a class action lawsuit is filed against ercot and its board members
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Old 02-20-2021, 11:07 AM
 
3,223 posts, read 10,100,683 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bevv View Post
Texas has multiple electric company options unless you will be moving inside the city limits of Austin. In that case you have to get electricity from the City.

Power To Choose | Home
I'm gonna be living in Pflugerville thank goodness
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Old 02-20-2021, 11:14 AM
 
11,801 posts, read 8,012,998 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mopac1980 View Post
I'm gonna be living in Pflugerville thank goodness
That technically won't give one immunity to what happened regarding the power issues, most power companies statewide receive their power and charge according to the rates provided by ERCOT but it appears (hopefully) that because those rates are fixed per contract between the power companies and ERCOT, no one should receive a hefty electric bill due to this...

...now a surcharge for winterization? that's another story
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Old 02-20-2021, 12:41 PM
 
8,007 posts, read 10,428,452 times
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On this morning's news, KVUE interviewed a person who just received an electric bill of $17,000.

https://www.kvue.com/article/money/b...c-0d003002f529
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Old 02-20-2021, 12:46 PM
 
Location: Austin
15,632 posts, read 10,390,278 times
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I just lost power again for the third time. No water either. Numerous pipes broken due to power loses and no heat.

Last edited by texan2yankee; 02-20-2021 at 01:13 PM..
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