Statement on Governor Abbott’s Call to Reform ERCOT

Encourages Greater Private Investment and Smart Policies

AUSTIN, TEXAS— Invest Texas Council (ITC) Chairman Ron Simmons today released a statement after Governor Abbott added three emergency items to his legislative agenda this session in order to reform the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and ensure Texas has a more robust infrastructure:

“In the wake of last week’s massive power outages and water disruptions, Governor Abbott is right to place the issue on forefront of the legislature’s agenda, and we are confident that the Governor and Legislature, as well as all stakeholders, will provide clarity on the causes of last week’s unprecedented challenges. As this natural disaster has made clear, there is a need to examine our state’s power infrastructure to determine what we can do to ensure this situation is unlikely to be repeated." 

"The extended power shortages during the extreme cold that hit Texas last week exposed deficiencies in our power infrastructure.  Whatever the causes -- perhaps the lack of weatherization, frozen water pipes, trees downed on distribution lines, too much base load generation decommissioned for a variety of reasons -- had there been more infrastructure, perhaps we would have had needed redundancy in the system to prevent the shortages and outages."

“The Invest Texas Council believes that more private investment in our state infrastructure across the board – roads, power, water, broadband and many other areas – is essential.  By partnering with and encouraging the private sector, Texas can build out its infrastructure in the most efficient and effective way possible and ensure our needs are met to keep Texas the premier economy in the nation.”