ERCOT Directors Resign

Four unaffiliated directors from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) board have resigned, according to a filing seen by Rigzone on the Public Utility Commission of Texas website.

Board Chairman Sally Talberg, Vice Chairman Peter Cramton, Finance and Audit Committee Chairman Terry Bulger, and Human Resources and Governance Committee Chairman Raymond Hepper all resigned, effective upon the adjournment of a February 24 ERCOT meeting, the filing outlined. In addition, the filing highlighted the withdrawal of one unaffiliated director candidate, Craig S. Ivey, from consideration for approval by the Public Utility Commission of Texas to fill the prior sole unaffiliated director vacancy on the board.

In a joint letter attached to the filing, the four ERCOT directors said they wanted to acknowledge the “pain and suffering of Texans during this past week”.

“Our hearts go out to all Texans who have had to go without electricity, heat, and water during frigid temperatures and continue to face the tragic consequences of this emergency,” the directors stated in the letter.

“We have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT. To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board effective after our urgent board teleconference meeting adjourns on Wednesday, February 24, 2021,” they added in the letter.

“Before we step aside, we are beginning the process of reviewing this extreme cold weather event and resulting power crisis. With the right follow through, Texas can lead the nation in investing in infrastructure and emergency preparedness to withstand the effects of severe weather events-whether in the form of flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, or hurricanes. We want what is best for ERCOT and Texas,” they added.

In a statement on the resignation of the ERCOT board members, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said, “when Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT failed to do its job and Texans were left shivering in their homes without power”.

“ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texas’ power infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be devastatingly false. The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I welcome these resignations,” he added.

“The State of Texas will continue to investigate ERCOT and uncover the full picture of what went wrong, and we will ensure that the disastrous events of last week are never repeated,” Abbott went on to say.

ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to 26 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, the company notes on its website. The business is a membership-based nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com