PUC spokesman: Reliability is a 'priority' as surveys show power grid worries voters

Texans are increasingly concerned about the reliability and cost of public power, according to several polls, which could play a role in the Nov. 8 gubernatorial election.

“Winter Storm Uri, the severe weather event of February 2021, will long be etched into many Texans’ minds,” according to an October 2021 report from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. “What might have been a rare opportunity for residents to experience significant snow accumulation turned catastrophic as power blackouts spanned most of the state from Feb. 15-18. 

"A survey conducted by the University of Houston (UH) Hobby School of Public Affairs in mid-March found that more than two out of three, or 69%, of Texans lost power at some point during Feb. 14-20, and almost half, or about 49%, had disruptions in water service," the report noted. "The storm contributed to at least 210 deaths, and sources cited by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas estimated the state’s storm-related financial losses would range from $80 billion to $130 billion.”

Power concerns have been at the forefront of people’s minds in the last few typically hot Texas summers, with government agencies asking customers to reduce power use.

According to recent polling from The Texas Politics Project (TPP) at the University of Texas, nearly 90% of voters consider the state's electric grid an “important” issue in the 2022 election. This percentage was consistent no matter their political affiliation, religion, race, education or location.

Furthermore, the TPP poll shows that voters are nearly evenly split on who will be able to effectively handle this issue as governor.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican seeking a second term, is only leading his opponent, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, by 1% on this question, the poll states.

Additionally, a Data for Progress poll reported that 69% of those surveyed said their electricity bill is higher this year and 52% said it has affected them “a great deal.”

PUC Director of Communications Rich Parsons responded on behalf of Commissioner Will McAdams, which he said was PUC policy. Parsons said the PUC understands the grave concern Texans have about reliable power.

“We can’t speak to any polls," Parsons told Houston Daily. "What we can speak to is that we’ve heard loud and clear from Texans and our state’s leadership that our priority must be grid reliability at a reasonable cost to Texans.” 

Texas voters consider the viability of the electrical grid to be one of the most important issues in the election, so much so that it has made the top four concerns. It comes in second behind immigration and is above gun violence and the economy.

State and federal subsidy programs have been widely utilized by renewable energy developers. Hoke said those subsidies have been beneficial.

“The PUCT does not collect or maintain specific information on the issue, but there are many external studies and analysis that demonstrate federal renewable energy subsidies have driven large investments in renewable power in Texas,” Parsons said.

McAdams was named to the TPUC on April 1, 2021, in the wake of the disastrous winter storm. Peter Lake, who serves as the board chairman, was named to the PUC on April 12, 2021, and Lori Cobos was appointed June 17, 2021.

The other two board members, Kathleen Jackson and Jimmy Glotfelty, were appointed in August.

In addition, five members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board stepped down after the power system collapse. ERCOT manages the state’s power grid, with the PUC overseeing its work.

Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair; and Vanessa Anesetti-Parra, the market segment director for the independent retail electric provider market segment; stepped down after being asked by Abbott.

Craig Ivey, who had applied to serve on the board, withdrew his application.

“I welcome the resignations,” Abbott said. “The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable. We will ensure that the disastrous events are never repeated.”

On July 6, 2021, Abbott released a plan containing four points to help the grid.

“The objective of these directives is to ensure that all Texans have access to reliable, safe, and affordable power, and that this task is achieved in the quickest possible way,” his letter to the Public Utilities Commission of Texas stated. 

“Through clear communication, transparency and implementation of these critical changes, the PUC and ERCOT can regain the public’s trust, restore ERCOT’s status as a leader in innovation and reliability, and ensure Texans have the reliable electric power they expect and deserve,” he added.

One point was to “allocate reliability costs to generation resources that cannot guarantee their own availability, such as wind or solar power.”

Parsons said ERCOT and the PUCT are focused on ensuring that when Texans flip a switch there is power. It’s a complex problem with no easy or fast solutions, but state power officials are aware of the concerns.

“We are working to build reliability into the Texas energy market,” he said. “The goal is to ensure that competitive market forces both drive investment in reliable power generation that is available when Texans need the power most and keep electricity rates low.”