[00:00:01]
HAVE YOU BEEN AROUND A WHILE? YOU KNOW THAT IT'S RARE TO HAVE THIS MANY ERCOT ALUMNI, PUC ALUMNI, UH, JUST, IT'S EVERYBODY.
UH, I'VE BEEN ASKED TO FACILITATE TODAY'S MEETING, AND, UH, WE'VE ALREADY HAD ONE GLITCH, SO WE HOPE THAT WAS THE BUMP IN THE ROAD, AND THE REST OF THE DAY JUST GOES SMOOTHLY.
UM, SO LEMME JUST, I'M UP HERE TO DO SOME HOUSEKEEPING INITIALLY, UH, TO SET THE STAGE FOR TODAY.
THIS REALLY IS, UH, JEFF, BILL AND AG WILL BE RUNNING MOST OF TODAY.
UH, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE MET CENTER, UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE BATHROOMS OUTSIDE.
UH, WE ARE LOOKING TO START AT NINE 30, AND WE ARE LOOKING TO END AT FOUR 30.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE CONVERSATION STOPS FOREVER, BUT THAT IS FOR THE WORKSHOP IN TERMS OF WHAT'S AVAILABLE VIA WEBEX AND WHAT'S ONLINE IN TERMS OF, UM, THIS IS ALSO BEING BROADCAST SO PEOPLE CAN LOG IN AND WATCH THIS WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE SHOW.
UM, AND REALLY OUR PASSION FOR TODAY, AND THE GOAL FOR TODAY IS TO TRANSITION TO A NEW FRAMEWORK.
TRANSITION COMES WITH PROBLEMS, TRANSITION COMES WITH FRICTION, BUT WE HAVE TO GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS.
AND SO WITH EVERY NEW PROCESS THERE IS THE IDEA OF HOW TO ADAPT AND GET TO A NEW PLACE.
AND REALLY, THIS IS OUR FIRST OF TWO WORKSHOPS TO START TO REALLY WORK THROUGH A LOT OF THE DETAILS.
UH, AND I MEAN, HAVING A FRONT ROW SEAT TO THE TEAM THAT'S BEEN WORKING NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS FOR THE LAST MONTH TO GET TO THIS DAY, UH, IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THE TEAM HERE AT ERCOT.
SO, UH, OTHER HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS. SO NINE 30 TO FOUR 30.
UH, WE'LL RUN WITHOUT BREAKS, SO FEEL FREE TO GET UP, WANDER OUT, WANDER BACK.
UH, WE'LL SHOOT FOR LUNCH AT 1130.
THERE'S ALSO GONNA BE A FOOD TRUCK OUTSIDE IF YOU WANT TO PLACE YOUR ORDER NOW, SO YOU'RE NOT IN A LINE.
UH, WE'LL HAVE A 45 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK, 1130 ISH.
IT DEPENDS ON HOW THE DISCUSSION IS GOING.
UH, YOU HAVE TO GO A BIT OF A WAYS TO FIND SOMEPLACE TO EAT.
SO THE FOOD TRUCK'S A GREAT OPTION.
AND THEN, UM, IN TERMS OF QUESTIONS, I DON'T KNOW HOW TODAY'S GONNA GO IN TERMS OF FEEDBACK.
UH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS WE HAVE TWO SPOTS ON THE CORNER OF EACH TABLE.
IF YOU'VE BEEN AT THE ERCOT BOARD, THAT'S THE IDEA OF HOW, IF YOU'RE IN THE BACK ROW OVER THERE, WANT TO GET UP HERE AND SAY SOMETHING.
THOSE ARE THE CORNERS OF THE TABLES THAT WE'LL HAVE.
OUR PREFERENCE IS THAT YOU'RE LOGGED INTO THE WEBEX, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM AND MUTED.
AND THEN WHAT YOU CAN DO IS YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBEX AND PUT IN A COMMENT OR A MESSAGE AND SAY, PUT ME IN THE QUEUE, OR A QUESTION.
IT'D BE REALLY NICE IF YOU'RE SIGNING INTO THE WEBEX WITH YOUR COMPANY NAME.
SO IT SHOWS ENCORE, MARTHA HENSON, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND WE'RE NOT INTRODUCING AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S THIS PERSON, WHO THEY REPRESENT.
SO, UM, THANK YOU MARTHA, FOR LETTING ME USE YOU AS AN EXAMPLE.
SO AS YOU LOG INTO WEBEX, PLEASE MUTE AND WE'LL DO OUR BEST TO, UH, MANAGE ON OUR SIDE TOO.
SO, MYSELF AND COREY PHILLIPS WILL BE AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM HERE MOST OF THE TIME TO HELP COORDINATE THIS.
UH, BUT OTHERWISE, LET ME JUST GET THE ANTITRUST ADMONITION ON THE SCREEN AND THEN WE'LL GET OFF AND RUNNING.
JUST A REMINDER, I'LL LET YOU READ THE WORDS ON THE SCREEN FOR 10 SECONDS.
IF YOU NEED A COPY OF THE ANTITRUST ADMONITION, IT'S ON THE WEBSITE.
[2. Feedback from Stakeholder Interviews]
WHAT WE'RE GONNA START WITH WAS THE FEEDBACK FROM THE INTERVIEWS.WHAT WE'VE HAD IS A, UM, AND BEFORE WE GET INTO THAT, I'M GONNA ASK JEFF BILLA TO KIND OF KICK OFF THE OVERALL PURPOSE OF THE WORKSHOP AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR TODAY.
AND JEFF, I'LL, I'LL PASS IT OVER TO YOU.
UH, SO JEFF BILLOW, VICE PRESIDENT OF INTERCONNECTION AND GRID ANALYSIS AT ERCOT.
UM, I AM, UH, SUPER EXCITED TO SEE, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN UP TODAY.
UH, IT, IT SHOWS THAT Y'ALL THINK THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT, AND WE ALSO THINK THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT.
UH, WE, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF, UM, NEW LARGE LOAD CUSTOMERS THAT WANT TO COME AND CONNECT TO THIS GRID.
UH, BUT WE HAVE A, A PROCESS RIGHT NOW THAT IS NOT WORKING VERY WELL.
UH, AND AS AN EXAMPLE, WHAT WE SEE IS OFTEN, UM, WE, WE HAVE LARGE LOADS THAT COME AND WANT TO CONNECT, AND WE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RUNNING STUDIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN RELIABLY CONNECT THEM.
UH, AND, AND SO WE'LL, WE WILL GO THROUGH THIS STUDY PROCESS, UH, AND TODAY THAT'S LARGELY RUN BY THE TRANSMISSION SERVICE PROVIDERS.
UH, AND THEY, THEY'LL GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND THEY WILL GET A STUDY DONE, AND WE APPROVE THAT STUDY AND WE SAY, YEP, EVERYTHING LOOKS GREAT.
UH, AND THEN SOMETHING, MAYBE THEY DON'T MOVE FORWARD, UH, RIGHT AWAY.
UH, THEY, THEY THINK THAT THEY'RE DONE WITH THE PROCESS, BUT THEN SOMEBODY ELSE COMES ALONG, ANOTHER LARGE LOAD CUSTOMER COMES ALONG IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD,
[00:05:01]
AND THE STUDIES THAT, THAT WERE PERFORMED ARE NO LONGER VALID.SO WE, WE NO LONGER ARE SURE THAT WE CAN RELIABLY CONNECT THAT LOAD TO THE GRID.
AND, AND SO THEY, THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE WHEN WE THEN TELL THEM, NO, YOU, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO BACK AND DO A, A RE STUDY.
UH, AND, AND SO THAT, THAT PROCESS IS NOT WORKING VERY WELL.
THE PROCESS WAS CREATED IN A DIFFERENT PARADIGM, UH, NOT THE PARADIGM WHERE WE HAVE TWO, 200 SOMETHING GIGAWATTS, HUNDREDS OF PROJECTS THAT ARE LOOKING TO CONNECT TO THE GRID.
UH, AND SO WE, WE NEED TO CHANGE THIS PROCESS.
UM, AND, AND SO THE PROCESS THAT WE ARE ENVISIONING IS A, UH, A BATCH STUDY PROCESS WHERE WE WOULD STUDY, UH, THESE LARGE LOAD CUSTOMERS IN BATCHES.
UH, AND SO WE, AS MATT ALLUDED TO, WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY HARD TO COME UP WITH A FRAMEWORK, UH, FOR WHAT THAT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
UH, WE, WE, UM, WANT TO GET THIS RIGHT, AND WE THINK THAT WE'VE, UH, WE, WE, WE'VE GOT A, A GOOD PROPOSAL, UH, THAT WE WILL SHARE WITH YOU LATER TODAY.
UH, BUT WE, TODAY, THIS IS ABOUT SHARING THAT WITH YOU, BUT ALSO HEARING YOUR FEEDBACK.
UH, WE, WE'VE ALREADY HEARD LOTS OF FEEDBACK AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UH, WITH, UH, MCKINSEY TO CONDUCT THESE INTERVIEWS.
AND WE'LL, WE'LL SHARE THAT FEEDBACK IN A MINUTE.
BUT WE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO HEAR MORE FEEDBACK.
WE WANT YOU TO TELL US WHERE YOU THINK THAT WE GOT IT RIGHT AND WHERE YOU THINK THAT WE MISSED THE MARK AND WE NEED TO MAKE SOME ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, SO WE, WE WILL DO THAT TODAY.
AND, UH, WE'LL TAKE THAT FEEDBACK.
UH, MATT WILL TALK LATER ABOUT, UH, KIND OF WAYS MORE FORMALLY.
SO, SO WE'LL, WE'LL COLLECT THAT FEEDBACK TODAY.
UH, BUT, BUT THEN AT THE, UH, END, WE'LL, WE WILL, UH, OFFER A FEW OTHER WAYS OF COLLECTING SOME ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK.
UM, S SO, UH, TODAY, AS, AS WE GO THROUGH, UH, PARTICULARLY THE, UH, THE, THE LONG PRESENTATION THAT AJI AND I HAVE, UH, AS WE GO THROUGH THAT, UM, WE ARE, UH, WE, WE WILL COVER KIND OF LONG SECTIONS AT A TIME, AND THEN WE WILL PAUSE AND, AND, UH, ANSWER QUESTIONS AND TAKE COMMENTS, UH, AFTER WE GET THROUGH SECTIONS, UH, PROBABLY WON'T, WON'T STOP AFTER EVERY SLIDE.
UM, UH, AL ALSO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF, UH, KIND OF INTER INTERRELATED AND, AND PARALLEL PIECES TO THIS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, UNFORTUNATELY, THE, THE WAY THAT WE PRESENT THE WAY, THE WAY THAT OUR BRAINS WORK IS, IS WE TAKE INFORMATION IN SERIALLY.
UH, AND, AND THAT'S HOW THE PRESENTATION IS LAID OUT.
AND, AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THERE MAY BE TIMES THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, YOU MAY HAVE A QUESTION, WE MAY SAY, HEY, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA COVER THAT LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
AND SO WE ARE JUST GONNA ASK YOU TO HOLD, HOLD YOUR, YOUR COMMENTARY QUESTION UNTIL WE GET TO THAT, THAT SECTION OF THE PRESENTATION.
UM, WHAT ONE OTHER THING, UH, AS, AS WE'RE GOING THROUGH THIS, UM, THE, THERE ARE GOING TO BE PARTS OF THIS THAT, UM, THERE'S NOT REALLY A A RIGHT ANSWER THERE.
IT, IT, IT'S, UM, KIND A BUZZ PHRASE YOU'RE GONNA HEAR IS TRADE-OFFS.
SO YOU'RE, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR THAT, HEY, WE, WE, WE
SO IF YOU'RE CONNECTED IN ON THE WEBEX, UM, THE, THE BEST WAY IS TO NOT JUST MUTE, BUT TO, UM, YOU CAN MUTE, BUT BEST WAY IS JUST DON'T CONNECT AUDIO.
UM, OKAY, SO I, I THINK THAT'S CLEANED UP.
UH, SO ANYWAY, TO BACK TO WHAT I WAS SAYING.
SO I THINK YOU'RE GONNA HEAR, HEY, WE, WE HAD THIS DECISION POINT AND THERE ARE SOME TRADE OFFS INVOLVED, AND, AND THIS IS THE DECISION WE MADE.
A AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA HEAR KIND OF YOUR, YOUR FEEDBACK ON THOSE TRADE OFFS.
DID WE MAKE THE RIGHT, RIGHT DECISION, UH, AS WE WERE DRAFTING THIS UP? UM, SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL.
I THINK THAT'S ALL THAT I WANTED TO COVER.
AGAIN, MAYBE JUST ONE MORE THING IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, VERY MUCH DRAFT, UH, THAT THIS IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU, UH, HEAR TODAY, THAT THIS IS NOT FINAL.
UH, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE FEEDBACK BACK AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO REFINE IT.
UM, SO JUST, YOU KNOW, WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAD TO, MATT, I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU.
UM, ALSO, I WILL, IF WE NEED TO INVOKE A TWO MINUTE TIME WRONG QUESTIONS LIKE THE COMMISSION HAS, WE MAY NEED TO DO THAT.
IF, IF YOU'RE NOT AWARE, WE HAVE 520 PLUS PEOPLE ONLINE ALSO, SO IF EVERYONE WANTED TO TALK FOR A MINUTE, WE'RE ALREADY OUT OF TIME.
UH, SO BE BRIEF AND AMAZING, UH, SUCCINCT WITH YOUR QUESTIONS, AND WE'LL BE SUCCINCT WITH OUR ANSWERS WHERE WE'RE CALLING.
AND THEN WE MAY NEED TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION RATHER QUICKLY.
SO APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE IF THAT'S, UH, FEELS A LITTLE ROUGH.
ALRIGHT, SO ERCOT, LET ME SEE IF I CAN MAXIMIZE THIS MOMENT.
ALRIGHT, SO ERCOT PARTNERED UP WITH MCKINSEY.
[00:10:01]
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED.WE HAD A 21 DAY RUN OF CONNECTING A LOT OF INTERVIEWS, AND WE PUT THIS IN THE MARKET NOTICE BACK IN DECEMBER 23RD.
IT WAS, ERCOT WILL BE WORKING WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO SOLICIT FEEDBACK AND TO GET TO A SOLUTION.
WE REALIZED THERE'S A LOT OF THOUGHTS, OPINIONS, AND, UM, EXPERTISE OUT THERE.
AND WE WANTED TO WAIT, GO THROUGH IT SMARTLY.
AND SO WE PARTNERED UP WITH MCKENZIE AND JESSE WILL COME UP IN A MINUTE.
AND THE IDEA WAS TO JUST UNDERTAKE A MASSIVE INTAKE PROCESS.
HOW DO WE TALK TO ALL Y'ALL AND GET TO CONCLUSIONS OR NEXT STEPS? AND IT'S NOT TO SAY THAT EVERYONE'S EXACT OPINION IS REPRESENTED HERE, BUT IS WHERE ARE THE, WHERE'S THE GENERAL CONSENSUS ON ITEMS OR WHERE IS THERE FRICTION ON ITEMS? AND SO IT'S, THE IDEA IS TRYING TO GET A, A LINE OF SIGHT AS TO WHAT ARE THE KEY ISSUES THAT WE CAN ADDRESS FROM A POLICY OR PROCESS ISSUE.
UH, AND SO WHAT THIS LOOKED LIKE, THIS WAS A JANUARY ACTIVITY.
UH, WE HAD 60 STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS.
UH, SOME WERE IN PERSON, A LOT WERE ONLINE.
UH, THAT WAS A ROUGH THREE WEEKS, BUT WE MADE IT TO THE OTHER SIDE.
UH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, AND, AND JESSE WILL KIND OF VOICE OVER THIS BETTER THAN I WILL, IT'S THAT HOW DO WE GET THE PATTERNS AND THE KEY, UH, ELEMENTS INTO THIS DESIGN THAT ALSO FED INTO THE DESIGN TEAM WHERE WE'RE MEETING TWICE A WEEK WITH JEFF AND AG ON, BASED ON THIS FEEDBACK.
CAN YOU GUYS BE CONSIDERING HOW THIS FITS TOGETHER? AND THERE'S ACTUALLY A SLIDE IN THE PRESENTATION MATERIALS WHERE THERE IS A BIT OF A MAPPING TO SOME OF THESE KEY TOPICS AS TO WHICH SLIDES THAT'LL TOUCH UPON.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO CONNECT THE DOTS ON ALL THE FEEDBACK OF THE UNIVERSE INTO TODAY IN SOME WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.
UH, BUT WITH, WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JESSE, IF YOU WANNA COME UP AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND KICK OFF THE SLIDES.
UM, AND THANKS EVERYONE FOR, FOR COMING TODAY.
UM, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE ERCOT TEAM AND WITH MANY OF YOU FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO.
UM, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS JUST EMPHASIZE WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PROCESS, UH, THE BUSINESS IMPACT THAT, THE LIVELIHOOD IMPACT, THAT THE OUTCOMES OF, OF THE, THE BATCH PROCESS AND LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION HAS IN ERCOT FOR YOU ALL.
AND SO WE WERE EXCITED TO, TO CONDUCT THESE INTERVIEWS AND KINDA WORK THROUGH WITH THE FOLKS.
AGAIN, SOME OF YOU IN THE ROOM, SOME OF YOU ONLINE, YOU KNOW, FEEDBACK.
THERE WERE SOME INITIAL, UH, FRAMEWORKS PUT OUT OVER THE LAST MONTH OR SO ON ROUGHLY WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE.
JEFF'S BEEN SPEAKING IN OPEN MEETINGS, UM, AND WHAT WE REALLY WANTED TO HEAR WAS PARTLY WHAT'S THE PAIN POINTS SET TODAY? YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE DRIVING ISSUES IN THE SYSTEM? AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A QUESTION I THINK MATT DID A GREAT JOB ASKING IN, IN MOST OF THE INTERVIEWS, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE KING FOR A DAY OR IF YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE SYSTEM, HOW WOULD YOU WRITE IT OR HOW WOULD YOU DESIGN IT? AND ONE THING YOU'LL HEAR AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, WE, WE RAN 60 INTERVIEWS.
YOU'LL SEE THERE'S, THERE'S DETAIL IN THE BACK.
UM, THEY'RE AVAILABLE ONLINE, BUT IT, THIS COVERS PROBABLY 70 OR SO INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES OR GROUPS.
AND ON TOP OF THAT, IT'S, IT'S ACROSS A SPECTRUM OF TYPES OF STAKEHOLDERS.
YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S WIRES, COMPANIES, OR FOLKS COMING TO INTERCONNECT.
AND SO WHAT YOU CAN IMAGINE THEN, WITH IT'S SEVERAL HUNDRED FOLKS WHO ARE GIVING AN OPINION AND A VIEW, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE A CONSENSUS.
UH, YOU CAN IMAGINE IF, IF ALL THE ERCOT FOLKS LEFT THE ROOM AND SAID, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY GET TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH YOUR BEST VIEW, THAT THE, THE DESIGN BY COMMITTEE IS GONNA BE CHALLENGING, UM, BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT INTERESTS AND, AND DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU SIT IN THE SYSTEM, IT, IT SORT OF LEADS TO A DIFFERENT OUTCOME.
SO LET ME JUMP INTO, I THINK WHAT WE WANTED TO COVER THIS MORNING IN A BRIEF PERIOD BEFORE WE ACTUALLY PASS IT OVER TO THE, THE REAL CONTENT I KNOW MOST OF YOU'RE HERE FOR IS A BIT AROUND WHAT WE HEARD THAT FOLKS CAN GENERALLY SAY WE AGREE UPON, AND THEN WHAT ARE THE PIECES WHERE IT REALLY DOES COME DOWN TO DESIGN DECISIONS.
AND THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT KIND OF THE VENN DIAGRAM OF, UH, OUTCOMES THAT MAKES EVERYONE HAPPY DOESN'T HAVE A HUGE OVERLAP ACROSS THE WHOLE WHOLE SET OF STAKEHOLDERS.
SO IF I SKIP AHEAD AND I KNOW THESE ARE, THIS IS SMALL TEXT, BUT I WANT TO GO THROUGH IT, UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ACTUALLY GO THROUGH, I, I WOULD SAY ONE, WE ALSO HAVE, YOU KNOW, IT'S 50 HOURS OR SO OF INTERVIEW, UM, TRANSCRIPTS PUT TOGETHER.
THERE'S A LOT MORE BEHIND THIS.
BUT WHAT WE TRIED TO DO WAS BUBBLE UP THE SET OF THINGS WE THINK WERE CRITICAL THAT, THAT WE CONNECTED OBVIOUSLY CLOSELY, SORT OF HAND IN GLOVE WITH JEFF AND HIS TEAM OVER THE LAST MONTH.
ON THE FIRST ONE REALLY ON, ON PAIN POINTS IS, IS WE DID HEAR AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT TRANSPARENCY WAS AN ISSUE TODAY.
A LOT OF, ESPECIALLY FOLKS TRYING TO CONNECT TO THE SYSTEM, WERE SEEING THAT IT WAS HARD TO UNDERSTAND EVEN WHERE THEY WERE.
WHAT'S THE, WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP? WHO DO I CALL TO GET AN ANSWER? AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S SORT OF, YOU'LL SEE THAT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT ALSO IN THE PROCESS, UM, WHEN WE START TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE WAYS THAT TOUCHPOINTS CAN EXIST FORMALLY TO REDUCE THAT, THAT KIND OF UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING.
BUT THAT ALSO LINKS TO WHEN YOU DESIGN THE PROCESS, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME PREDICTABILITY THAT GOES WITH THAT TRANSPARENCY.
UM, AND WE HEARD AGAIN AND AGAIN THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO GET AN ANSWER AND ONE THAT YOU COULD SORT OF TAKE TO THE BANK WHETHER IT'S A YES OR A NO THAN IT IS TO SIT KIND OF IN A LIMBO
[00:15:01]
OR A TUDY PROCESS.UH, AND THAT MAY SOUND OBVIOUS, BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO, TO GET TO TRANSPARENCY AND TO GET TO AN ANSWER QUICKLY, IN SOME CASES WE WE'RE GONNA FIND THAT LOADS ARE NOT ABLE TO CONNECT IN KIND OF THE TIMING AND RAMP THAT THEY WANT.
BUT WHAT WE HEARD WAS, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
I THINK THE, THE NEXT BIGGEST PIECE IS REALLY AROUND THE WHOLE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
THIS IS A, THIS IS ACTUALLY A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A, OF A KIND OF A COMMENT THAT WE WOULD PUT ON THIS ALIGNMENT SLIDE 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ACTUALLY UNIVERSAL.
THERE ARE A FEW FOLKS, UM, THAT WE SPOKE TO WHO SAID, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE BATCH PROCESS, BUT THEY WERE IN THE VERY SMALL MINORITY.
THE RECOGNITION THAT THE, THE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS AS WRITTEN WAS DESIGNED FOR, UM, A SET OF REQUESTS THAT JUST WERE FAR EXCEEDED OUT, OUT, EXCEEDED BY WHAT CAME TO THE SYSTEM MEANS THAT MOVING TO A BATCH OR SOME PROCESS THAT LETS ERCOT AND, AND THE TSPS TACKLE THE SYSTEM IN AGGREGATE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD AROUND, UH, CONCERNS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATIVE LOAD IN THE SYSTEM.
THE BARRIER TO ENTRY, UM, TO GETTING A LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECT IN DEPENDING ON WHERE IN THE SYSTEM COULD BE QUITE LOW.
AND SO IN SOME WAYS THAT ENCOURAGES, UH, DEVELOPERS OR FOLKS TO BRING IN LOADS THAT MAY BE AT A LOWER LEVEL OF MATURITY, UM, CAUSING QUITE A BIT OF NOISE IN THE SYSTEM.
UH, WE, WE WOULDN'T PURPORT TO, TO ASSERT OR ASSESS WHETHER ONE LOAD OR ANOTHER IN OUR DISCUSSIONS WAS, WAS REAL.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE AGGREGATE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OVER 200 GIGAWATTS JUST ON THE LARGE LOAD SIDE FOR A SYSTEM THAT THAT WILL BE OVER A HUNDRED GIGAWATTS SOMEDAY, BUT ISN'T YET THERE.
AND SO BEING ABLE TO HAVE A SET OF PROCESSES AND RULES IN PLACE THAT HELPS SCREEN, UM, AND BRING FORWARD THE, THE PROJECTS THAT REALLY HAVE THE, THE HIGH LIKELIHOOD OF COMPLETING IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE NOISE IN THE SYSTEM AND GIVE MORE CLARITY FOR EVERYONE IS A CLEAR, WE'LL CALL IT A CLEAR TOUCH POINT ACROSS MOST OF THE INTERVIEWS THAT WE HAD.
WE'D ALSO SAY, NOW WHEN WE START TO GET INTO THE DESIGN, WE KNOW, AGAIN, KIND OF LOOKING BACK AT THOSE NUMBERS, THE THE 200 OVER 85 RATIO IS, IS PRETTY BIG.
AND SO AS YOU START TO APPROVE LOADS, YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT THAT EVERYONE CAN CONNECT EVERYTHING THEY'RE ASKING FOR ON, ON DAY ONE.
AND SO IN SOME PARTS OF THE, THE SYSTEM, THERE'LL NEED TO BE AN ALLOCATION.
AND SO THE, THE, THE ACCEPTANCE OR THE IDEA THAT YOU COULD GET SOME TRANSPARENCY AND, AND PREDICTABILITY LINKING TO THE FIRST TWO, BUT THAT GIVES YOU A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT'S THE RAMP THAT I WOULD GET, OR WHEN COULD I GET SOME, SOME OF THE LOAD THAT I'M REQUESTING AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IS MUCH BETTER THAN A BINARY ANSWER THAT SAYS, IF YOU ASKED FOR A GIGAWATT AND YOU WANT IT, UH, ON A CERTAIN DATE, AND WE CAN'T QUITE PROVIDE THAT, THAT YOU JUST GET ZERO, THAT THAT BACK AND FORTH IS, AND IT COMES UP ON THE NEXT SLIDE ABOUT EXACTLY HOW.
BUT, BUT THERE'S AN ACCEPTANCE THAT JUST GETTING WHAT YOU ASK FOR AND NOTHING IS PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER.
AND THEN WE REALLY, JEFF WILL SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON THIS TODAY, I BELIEVE.
BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CONTROLLABLE LOAD RESOURCES OR SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE BRING YOUR OWN GENERATION, THE, THE IDEA THAT THAT SHOULD HAVE SOME ABILITY TO IMPACT CONNECTION AND BRING THINGS ON MORE QUICKLY, UM, SEEMS TO BE A, A BELIEF ACROSS, ACROSS STAKEHOLDERS, NOT JUST LOAD INTERCONNECTION, THAT THERE'LL BE BENEFITS THERE, HOW THAT'S IMPLEMENTED.
I THINK THAT, THAT THE DEVIL'S A BIT IN THE DETAILS, BUT THAT AS A VALUE AND SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF THE PROCESS, NOT INDEPENDENT OF IT, UM, CAME THROUGH AS A CLEAR MESSAGE.
AND THEN I, I THINK THE, THE LAST TWO PIECES KIND OF LINK BACK UP AGAINST IT TO SOME OF THE EARLIER POINTS, BUT ONE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT RPG AND RTP AND, AND A BATCH PROCESS, THESE THINGS NEED TO BE CLOSELY LINKED SO THAT WHEN YOU GET A PROJECT THROUGH THE BATCH AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, THE OUTCOME, THAT'S, THAT'S SOMEWHAT GUARANTEED THAT THE, THE CHALLENGES OR THE THE UNCERTAINTY FOR THE OTHER PROCESSES THAT MAY BE NEEDED TO ENSURE SYSTEM UPGRADES, THAT THOSE CHALLENGES DON'T REDUCE YOUR, YOUR KIND OF, UM, BELIEF IN THE PROJECT BEING COMPLETED.
SO MAKING SURE THAT THAT LINKAGE EXISTS.
AND THEN ALSO KIND OF JUST GOING BACK TO A PAIN POINT, WE'LL KIND OF, SORT OF BOOKEND THAT WITH NUMBER ONE HERE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A FRAGMENTATION, UM, IN OWNERSHIP THAT, THAT WE SAW, WHICH IS WHO, WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT, WAS THERE THE SAME PROCESS ACROSS THE SYSTEM ACROSS DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION OWNERS? UH, WHERE, WHERE WAS OUR CUT MEANT TO STEP IN? JUST THAT PAIN POINT AROUND WHO IN TRANSPARENCY AND WHEN, AND WHAT I THINK CAME THROUGH AGAIN AND AGAIN, WHICH IS AGAIN, PART OF WHAT FEEDS INTO DESIGN DECISIONS OF SOME OF WHAT YOU'LL, YOU'LL HEAR TODAY.
NOW, THE, THE, THE MORE, UM, I WOULD SAY CONTENTIOUS POINTS, WHICH ACTUALLY IN SOME WAYS ARE AN EASIER SET TO PRESENT.
'CAUSE EVERYBODY CAN AGREE THAT THEY DON'T ALL AGREE.
UM, AND IT, IT WILL BE A PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE WORKED THROUGH.
I THINK MATT MADE THE POINT ALREADY, TRANSITION IS PAINFUL OR IT CAN BE PAINFUL.
UM, NOT EVERYTHING ON THIS SLIDE I THINK IS SOMETHING TO BE, UH, I WOULD CALL IT A, AN OVERCONCERN THAT IT, IT FULLY UNDERMINES THE PROCESS, BUT THERE ARE DETAILS THAT NEED TO BE WORKED THROUGH.
UM, AND AGAIN, GOING THROUGH THESE BECAUSE WE DID SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH YOU ON, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT YOU UNDERSTOOD IT WAS HEARD.
ONE PIECE AT THE BEGINNING HERE IS AROUND FAIRNESS AND, AND FAIR IS A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT WORD TO DEFINE AND IT'S QUITE SUBJECTIVE.
AND SO WHAT WE HEARD FROM SOME FOLKS WAS, IF MY INTERCONNECTION
[00:20:01]
REQUEST CAME IN EARLY, IT SEEMS FAIR THAT I SHOULD ALSO MAKE SURE I'M, I'M STUDIED, UH, AND I GET MY APPROVAL EARLY.WHERE WE HEARD FROM OTHERS THAT THE DIFFERENT LEVELS AND BARS TO GET KIND OF AN INTERCONNECTION OR A LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION NUMBER MEANT THAT ACROSS DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SYSTEM, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT'S SPECULATIVE VERSUS A HIGH PROBABILITY TO COMPLETE IS VERY DIFFERENT.
AND SO JUST USING A, SOME SORT OF FIRST IN FIRST OUT SYSTEM REALLY UNDERMINES WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED KIND OF THE, THE BEDROCK OF DEVELOPMENT AND, AND ENSURING THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS REAL PROJECTS COMING TO MARKET.
SO KIND OF THE, THE CHRONOLOGY VERSUS SOME OTHER SET OF METRICS.
UM, WHILE WIDE, WIDE DISAGREEMENT, I THINK ACROSS, UH, GROUPS ON THAT AND ACROSS INDIVIDUAL STAKEHOLDERS.
I I WOULD ALSO SAY THAT WHILE EVERYONE AGREES THERE NEEDS TO BE FILTERING, YOU SAW THAT ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, WHAT THE ACTUAL CALIBRATION OR WHAT THE SIZE OF THAT FILTER OR HOW THAT LOOKS, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE NUMBERS CAME UP AS WHAT'S THE FINANCIAL COMMITMENT AND AT WHAT POINT, BUT THERE'S OBVIOUSLY OTHER PIECES TO THAT, THE SORT OF THE FILTERING PROCESS, HOW TO, HOW TO ESSENTIALLY DECIDE WHAT'S A REAL PROJECT THAT'S REALLY POTENTIALLY GONNA BE READY TO ENERGIZE VERSUS SOMETHING THAT'S HIGHLY SPECULATIVE WITH A LOW PROBABILITY, UM, IS A DIFFICULT
AND I WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS ABLE TO BE, UM, ADDRESSED BY ERCOT IN THE, IN THE PROPOSED, UM, PROCESS HERE.
SOME THINGS WILL BE TOUCHED BY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING THE PUC, BUT THAT ACTUAL CALIBRATION THERE IS, IS TRICKY.
UM, WE ALSO HEARD ON NUMBER THREE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A TRANSITION PROCESS, UM, AND IT'S NOT THROW OUT ALL OF ALL OF THE, THE INTERMEDIATE PROCESS AND MOVE TO SOMETHING NEW.
IT'S ACTUALLY, AND YOU'LL SEE THIS IN THE SLIDES, THIS IS A, A TRANSITION FROM A PROCESS THAT HAS BECOME BOGGED DOWN AND OVERWHELMED IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD RUN AT A, A REGULAR CLIP WITH A LOT OF CERTAINTY.
BUT IN THAT TRANSITION, THERE'S A, THERE'S AN OPEN QUESTION ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH LOADS THAT WERE ALREADY APPROVED.
BY THE WAY, APPROVED MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, UM, ONES THAT ARE IN SERVICE THAT ARE EXPECTING A RAMP, UM, AS WELL AS CONTRACTED.
AND SO YOU'LL HEAR SOME OF THAT IN, IN THE MATERIAL LATER.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS THE SET OF CRITERIA? AND AT SOME POINT THERE NEEDS TO BE KIND OF BINARY LINES TO WHERE THINGS GET SORTED.
UNDERSTANDING THAT HAS BEEN TRICKY.
I'LL ALSO SAY WHEN WE KIND OF LINK NOW TO THE DETAILS WE TALKED ABOUT, WE DON'T WANT TO SAY BINARY, YOU GOT EVERYTHING OR NOTHING, BUT WHAT THAT ALLOCATION LOOKS LIKE DOES DIFFER DEPENDING ON FOLKS ACCEPTING THE LOAD.
IN SOME CASES, A RAMP WITH PARTIAL, UH, A PARTIAL ENERGIZATION WITH A RELATIVELY LOW THRESHOLD WORKS QUITE WELL.
IN OTHER CASES WE HEARD FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME GROUPS, AND I'M TRYING TO BE CAREFUL HERE BECAUSE WE DID PROMISE EVERYONE IN THE INTERVIEWS WE'RE NOT GONNA ATTRIBUTE COMMENTS.
I THINK THE, THE UNDERSTANDING IS THE, THAT IT WAS MEANT TO BE QUITE DIRECT AND OPEN, BUT WE DID HEAR IN SOME CASES A PROJECT IS NOT VIABLE WITHOUT A CERTAIN, UM, VOLUME OF MEGAWATTS AND IT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT BY PROJECT.
AND SO JUST A SIMPLE ALLOCATION BASED ON A A PERCENTAGE, UM, ISN'T GONNA WORK IN MANY CASES AND IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO GET THAT RIGHT, UM, TO AVOID RESTUDIES AND DROPOUTS WHEN PROJECTS AREN'T ALLOCATED WHAT THEY NEED TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND THEN THE, THE LAST, THE LAST FOUR OR THE TWO OF THE LAST FOUR ARE REALLY AROUND, UM, KIND OF, I WOULD CALL THEM A BIT MORE ABOUT SORT OF THE PHILOSOPHY.
UH, NUMBER FIVE, WHAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WITH A LOT OF FOLKS IS WHAT'S THE TIMING HERE, NOT ONLY OF KIND OF THE, THE BATCH ZERO THAT WE'LL SPEND A LOT OF THE TIME TODAY ON, BUT OF THE, THE ONGOING BATCH PROCESS ONCE THINGS ARE IN MOTION.
AND I THINK WHAT WOULD BE RELATIVELY ALIGNED UPON THAT'S, THAT'S NOT ON THIS SLIDE IS IF YOU COULD DO IT WITH THE SNAP OF A FINGERS ALL THE TIME, UM, AND HAVE COMPLETE CERTAINTY IN THE OUTCOME, THAT'D BE GREAT.
BUT THE REALITY IS THERE IS A, A TRADE OFF BETWEEN FAST, UM, AND, UH, WE'LL CALL IT ACCURACY OR, OR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
AND SO I THINK WE HEARD FROM A LOT OF FOLKS THAT THE TWICE A YEAR THAT'S PROPOSED LIKELY WORKS, BUT I WOULD NOT SAY THAT WAS UNIVERSAL.
AND IT DOES DEPEND ON THE SPEED AT WHICH THE, THE BATCH ZERO A AND ZERO B, UM, IF THAT'S WHAT ENDS UP BEING IMPLEMENTED, ARE ACTUALLY OFF AND RUNNING.
BECAUSE ONCE THE SYSTEM IS KIND OF GOT A FLYWHEEL GOING AND, AND EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THE PROCESS AND TIMELINES, IT, IT FELT LIKE FROM THE INTERVIEWS AND SOME OF THE EXPLICIT COMMENTS WERE THAT THAT WILL WORK.
BUT THE FROM TWO TO GET THERE, I THINK HAS, HAS CHALLENGES.
AND SO THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, HOW QUICKLY DO YOU DO IT VERSUS WHAT, WHAT DO I RISK IF I END UP NOT BEING ABLE TO GET THE LOAD THAT I THOUGHT I WAS GETTING OUTTA THE BATCH? UM, CAUSES KIND OF QUITE A BIT OF CONSTERNATION.
AND THEN I, WE WON'T SPEND MUCH TIME ON THIS TODAY, BUT I, I WILL SAY THAT THE PROCESS BY WHICH THIS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED, USING A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION, UM, RAISED QUITE A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BACK AND FORTH ON WHETHER THAT WAS OR WASN'T THE, THE RIGHT WAY TO APPROACH IT.
NOW, THE, THE, THE BIGGEST SECOND TWO PIECES ARE REALLY AROUND KIND OF IMPLEMENTATION FOR, OR THE LAST TWO ARE AROUND IMPLEMENTATION FOR FOLKS WHO ARE ARE ASKING FOR LOAD.
THE FIRST ONE BEING IF WE'RE GONNA RUN A BATCH PROCESS, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE BATCH IS COMPLETED AND THERE'S AN ALLOCATION THAT'S RELATIVELY BANKABLE, UM, THERE NEEDS TO BE A COMMITMENT FROM THE, THE LARGE LOAD THAT IT'S GONNA MOVE FORWARD.
UM, WE DON'T WANNA HOLD THAT, THAT LOAD IN THE SYSTEM, UH, FOR A LOAD THAT'S NOT ACTUALLY GONNA COME ONLINE.
[00:25:01]
THE CHALLENGE THEN IS WE KNOW, AND WE HEARD FROM MANY OF YOU, THESE ARE, THESE ARE MAJOR PROJECTS WITH HUGE CAPITAL THAT SIT BEHIND THEM.AND SO TO HEAR ON A VERY SHORT TIMELINE, WE NEED TO KNOW, YOU KNOW, IN X DAYS OR X WEEKS, WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE MOVING FORWARD, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY ASKING YOU TO COMMIT THE CAPITAL THAT THAT SITS BEHIND THE PROJECTS, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY A MAJOR DECISION.
AND SO LINKING BACK TO THE TRANSPARENCY AND THE PREDICTABILITY FROM BEFORE, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN GIVE, UH, AN OUTCOME DATE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN EXPECT A DECISION ON X DATE AND YOU WILL HAVE Y DAYS TO COME BACK, THAT WILL HELP.
BUT EVEN IN THAT CONTEXT, YOU KNOW, IS IT A 30 DAY OR A 90 DAY WINDOW? THERE WAS A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH ON, ON WHAT, WHAT THE RIGHT TIME IS AND WHAT IT ACTUALLY TAKES TO GET THE LEVEL OF CAPITAL, UM, THAT IS REQUIRED TO BUILD SOME OF THESE LARGE LOADS, UH, COMMITTED INTERNALLY IN GROUPS.
WE WILL SAY THAT IF YOU CAN'T, IF WE HAVE TO EXTEND THE COMMITMENT TIMELINE, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT ALSO THEN PUSHING INTO TO THE NEXT BATCH THAT RUNS, IF YOU GAVE EVERYONE A YEAR, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE SYSTEM.
AND SO THE, THE FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE THERE, UM, CLEARLY GONNA BE CRITICAL, BUT WE BELIEVE THE, THE PIECE AROUND THE TRANSPARENCY AND PREDICTABILITY IS GONNA MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, UM, AND HOW THAT GOES FORWARD.
AND THEN FINALLY, AND, AND THIS IS ALSO WAS, WASN'T REINFORCED, I THINK WITH SOME COMMENTS THAT CAME IN OVER THE WEEKEND.
UM, THE, THE QUESTION ON, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THIS SHOULD MOVE FORWARD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, UM, FOLKS HAVE BEEN WAITING, UH, IN KIND OF THE RESTUDY PERIOD AS JEFF MENTIONED EARLIER FOR A WHILE.
CAN WE GET BATCH ZERO A MOVING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE? THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, EXCITEMENT AROUND THAT.
AT THE SAME TIME, THE IDEA THAT THE RULES WILL HAVE BEEN SET WITHOUT EVERYONE KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE GONNA LOOK LIKE, UM, WHEN THEY WERE SET, UM, CAUSED SOME, SOME FOLKS TO RAISE THEIR HAND AND SAY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE NEED TO, TO PUSH THIS OUT A LITTLE BIT LONGER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, NOT EXTENDING THE PROCESS.
I WILL SAY ACROSS ALL OF THESE, AND, AND AGAIN, THESE MATERIALS ARE ONLINE, UM, WE DID HEAR A GENERAL APPRECIATION THAT ERCOT IS, IS TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY AND IS WORKING TOWARD A SOLUTION THAT'S GOING TO ENABLE MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE STATE.
IT'S GOING TO KIND OF CREATE TRANSPARENCY AND, AND A PROCESS THAT WORKS, BUT THAT WE ALL RECOGNIZE THAT THERE'S NOT, THERE'S NOT UNIVERSALLY AN ANSWER THAT'S GONNA MAKE EVERYONE SORT OF SAY, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD'VE DESIGNED FOR MYSELF AND MAKES EVERYONE HAPPY.
SO I, I'D JUST LIKE TO CLOSE THERE.
I KNOW WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA SPEND THE BULK OF THE DAY HEARING ABOUT THE DETAILS AND, AND MANY OF YOU ALL READ THE MATERIALS, BUT, UM, WANTED TO SAY AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO YOU ALL, UM, AND RECOGNIZE THAT THIS HAS BEEN, THIS HAS BEEN KIND OF A BLITZ.
AND I WOULD ALSO JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EVERYONE, IT SEEMED MADE A REALLY MAJOR EFFORT TO, TO ACCOMMODATE SCHEDULES.
WE GOT FOLKS IN QUICKLY, UM, AND REALLY APPRECIATED THE, THE SORT OF THE CANDOR THAT PEOPLE BROUGHT AND, AND PROFESSIONALISM TO THESE CONVERSATIONS.
AND IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, UH, WE ARE GONNA MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SECTION.
IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR JESSE OR I, WE'LL BE LINGERING ALL DAY LONG AND YOU CAN BEND OUR EAR ON IT.
THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR FEEDBACK.
SO AT THE END OF THE WORKSHOP, WE'LL TALK ABOUT TWO WAYS TO DO IT.
ONE IS YOU COULD SUBMIT COMMENTS, YOU KNOW, WRITE A DOCUMENT AND SEND IT INTO US, AND THAT'LL BECOME PART OF THE RECORD FOR THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
LIKE, OUR COMPANY BELIEVES X, Y, AND Z.
THE OTHER CHANNEL WE'RE GONNA USE IS A, UM, A SURVEY.
SO AN ONLINE SURVEY THAT YOU LOG IN, PUT YOUR NAME, YOUR COMPANY, WE'RE ASKING FOR ONE NAME PER COMPANY, AND TO RESPOND TO ALL THESE ATTRIBUTES THAT ARE KEEN TO THEN HAVE SOME DATA TO ACTUALLY BUILD OUT WHERE, WHERE'S THE MARKET SIT ON THESE.
SO AGAIN, IN THE INTERVIEWS, IT WASN'T PERFECT, IT WASN'T A CHECKLIST, BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS WE WANT TO KIND OF DIVE INTO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER TO SEE WHERE THE REST OF THE, UH, MARKET STANDS.
SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL GET JEFF SET UP TO PRESENT.
AND ON WE GO FIRST 13 SLIDES THE QUESTIONS.
UM, SO JEFF AND I TALKED EARLY.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET THROUGH THE FIRST 13 SLIDES BEFORE WE HIT QUESTIONS, SO JUST TO GET THE FRAMEWORK OUT INTO THE FIELD TO PLAY, AND THEN WE'LL GO FROM THERE.
[3. Batch Framework Discussion]
OKAY.UM, ALWAYS HARD TO START OFF WITH THE DISCLAIMER, BUT, UH, I NEED TO, IN THIS CASE, SO AGAIN, I SAID THIS EARLIER, BUT, UH, EVERYTHING IN THIS SLIDE DECK IS, UH, WE, WE'VE BEEN SAYING IT'S WRITTEN IN PENCIL.
IT'S, UH, THIS IS A PROPOSAL AND IT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
UM, I ALSO WANT TO NOTE THAT THE ONE 15 PROCESS, WHICH IS THE CURRENT PROCESS THAT WE'RE, UM, THAT WE'RE USING FOR LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION STUDIES, UH, THAT THAT PROCESS IS STILL IN EFFECT.
UH, WE, WE, SO, SO EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE CERTAIN DATES AND, AND CERTAIN PROPOSALS IN THIS SLIDE DECK, UH, THAT WE, WE HAVE NOT TRANSITIONED OVER INTO A, A BATCH ZERO PROCESS YET.
SO THAT THAT EXISTING PROCESS IS STILL IN EFFECT.
[00:30:01]
FINALIZED THAT TIMING ON WHEN WE WILL DO THAT, UH, TRANSITION.UM, AND, AND THEN, UH, ULTIMATELY THE DETAILS ON, UH, ON THE BATCH STUDY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THAT WILL BE, UH, CODIFIED IN A REVISION REQUEST.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT, SO YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY, WHILE WE, WHILE WE ARE GOING TO GO INTO, UH, SOME DEPTH ON SOME, UH, DETAILS, UH, THE, THE, THERE, THERE'S STILL MORE DETAILS, UH, TO BE WORKED OUT AND, OR, OR CO YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE INTENDING TO, UH, NEAR IMMEDIATELY START WRITING THOSE REVISION REQUESTS.
UH, WE, WE, UH, HAVE GOTTEN, UM, UH, SOME FOLKS THAT HAVE OFFERED TO HELP US, UH, WRITE THOSE REVISION REQUESTS.
AND, AND I'LL, I'LL SAY THAT I, I THINK BECAUSE THIS TOUCHES SO MANY AREAS WITHIN ERCOT, UH, SO IT'S LARGE LOAD, INTERCONNECTION, GENERATION, INTERCONNECTION PLANNING, OPERATIONS, UH, MARKET OPERATIONS, THERE ARE SO MANY AREAS THAT WE, WE FEEL LIKE WE ARE IN, IN THE BEST POSITION, UH, TO DO THAT.
UH, SO, UH, WITH THAT, AGAIN, IN THE, UH, AGENDA, UH, WE ALREADY DID, UH, NUMBER ONE ON THE AGENDA, WHICH, UH, WAS THE, UH, PRESENTATION FROM, UH, MATT AND, AND JESSE.
UH, SO WHAT WE WILL SPEND THE, UH, BULK OF THE REST OF THE DAY ON IS THE SECTION TWO ON THE AGENDA.
UM, I'M, I'M GONNA GIVE, UH, A, UM, INTRODUCTION, GONNA, UH, TALK ABOUT KIND OF HIGH LEVEL WHAT, WHAT IS THIS BATCH STUDY PROCESS THEN, UH, AG DREW THE, UM, SHORT STRAW AND, UH, HE'S GOING TO PRESENT ON, UH, BATCH ZERO.
UM, UH, AND, AND, UM, YEAH, I'M JUST KIDDING ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND THEN, UM, AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT TIMING AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO SOME OTHER, SOME OTHER, UH, DETAILS.
UM, AND THEN AT THE VERY END, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT OUR NEXT STEPS, WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I COVERED THIS EARLIER IN MY OPENING REMARKS, BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THE, THE, THE CURRENT PROCESS THAT WE HAVE FOR INTERCONNECTING LARGE LOADS WAS CONSTRUCTED AT A TIME WHERE WE HAD NOT, NOT THE VOLUME AND NOT THE, UH, VOLUME IN MEGAWATTS, NOT THE VOLUME IN NUMBER OF REQUESTS THAT WE HAVE, AND THE, UM, THE, THE PROCESS.
IT, IT'S JUST, UH, IT, IT DOESN'T WORK WHEN WE HAVE AS MANY REQUESTS AS WE HAVE BECAUSE YOU, YOU HAVE THIS, THIS CONSTANT RE STUDY WHERE, WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS STUDY WAS DONE, BUT IT DIDN'T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT THIS OTHER LOAD THAT WAS COMING ON THE SYSTEM.
AND, AND SO IT HAS TO BE REDONE.
AND, UH, AND, AND WE HAVE TO HAVE A WELL-FUNCTIONING PROCESS FOR LARGE LOADS THAT WANT TO COME IN, UH, TO THIS STATE AND WANT TO CONNECT TO THIS GRID.
UH, WE, WE HAVE TO HAVE A PROCESS THAT WORKS BETTER FOR CONNECTING THEM, UH, AND, AND ALLOWING THEM TO, UH, DO THE BUSINESS THAT THEY WANT TO DO HERE.
UH, AND, AND SO THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHAT, WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.
UM, SO, UM, AND WE WILL COVER TIMING A LITTLE BIT, UH, LATER, BUT YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WHERE, WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY IS, UH, WE HAVE, UH, REACHED OUT.
WE'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK AS, AS JESSE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THIS IS OUR FIRST, UH, WORKSHOP WHERE WE ARE LAYING EVERYTHING OUT THAT THIS IS, THAT THEY, UH, THIS IS OUR HOMEWORK WE'RE GONNA SHARE OUR HOMEWORK WITH, WITH Y'ALL TODAY.
UM, WE PLAN TO COME BACK AND TAKE ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK OVER THE NEXT WEEK, COME BACK NEXT WEEK, NEXT THURSDAY, DO ANOTHER WORKSHOP, AND THEN PRESENT TO THE PUC AT THEIR FEBRUARY 20TH OPEN MEETING AND, AND SHARE WHAT WE THINK IS THE, UH, THE DRAFT FRAMEWORK.
OKAY? SO I'M GOING TO, UH, START OFF BY HIGHLIGHTING A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT JESSE TALKED ABOUT AND HOW WE THINK THAT WE ARE ADDRESSING THOSE IN, IN THE, IN THE PROPOSAL.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE, WE HEARD, UH, I THINK THE VAST MAJORITY IS, AS JESSE SAID, SUPPORTED MOVING AWAY FROM THIS, UH, SORT OF SEQUENTIAL LARGE ARY CONNECTION PROCESS TO AN ERCOT LED BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND, AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT, WE HAVE REDESIGNED THE PROCESS AND WE WILL, UH, COVER THAT, UH, IN THE, UH, UPCOMING SLIDES.
UM, ALSO, I THINK ONE OF THE KEY THEMES THAT WE HEARD IN THOSE INTERVIEWS WAS THAT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS, THAT THAT TIES INTO THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION PLANNING PROCESS.
WE, WE CAN'T HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, RESULTS THAT COME OUT OF THE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS THAT THEN DON'T TRANSLATE INTO PROJECTS THAT ACTUALLY GET CONSTRUCTED ON THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND, AND SO WE'VE TRIED TO INTEGRATE THAT, WE'LL COVER THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, IN, IN DEPTH LATER, UH, LATER IN THE DAY.
UM, AND THEN, UH, AGAIN, ANOTHER THEME THAT WE HEARD WAS THE PREDICTABLE TIMELINES.
WE, WE NEED TO HAVE CERTAINTY AROUND THESE TIMELINES.
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT THE RULES OF THE GAME ARE, UH, AS WE GO INTO IT, AND WE NEED TO HAVE TRANSPARENCY AROUND THAT.
UH, AND SO WE'LL, WE'LL COVER THAT IN, UH, THE, THE, THE TIMELINE THAT WE'VE
[00:35:01]
SET OUT IS A SIX MONTH TIMELINE.I'LL, I'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT.
UH, BUT, BUT IT IS A ROLLING SIX MONTH, SIX MONTH TIMELINE FOR THE ONGOING BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UH, BA BATCH YEAR WILL BE A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT, BUT IT, ON THE ONGOING PROCESS, WE WILL, UH, LAY THAT OUT AND WHAT, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
UM, AND THEN, UM, UH, NEXT, NEXT TOPIC, UH, NUMBER FOUR IS, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IDEA OF, UH, IF, IF I, IF I AM WILLING TO BE DISPATCHABLE OR IF I AM BRINGING CO-LOCATED, UH, GENERATION WITH ME, UM, OR IF MAYBE I, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE ASKED FOR 500 MEGAWATTS, BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO GIVE ME 200 MEGAWATTS, I CAN MAKE THIS PROJECT WORK IF I CAN EVENTUALLY GET TO 500 MEGAWATTS.
SO ALL OF THOSE CONCEPTS, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING ALL THOSE.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO LAY OUT KIND OF WHAT, WHAT OUR HIGH LEVEL CONCEPTUALLY, WHAT WE THINK THE, UH, THE NEW RULES ARE FOR INCORPORATING THAT, AND WE DO THINK THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT IN, INTO THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UM, UH, ANOTHER THING THAT, THAT JESSE HIT ON WAS THIS IDEA OF, UM, UH, THERE'S MAYBE SOME LOAD IN THE SYSTEM.
WE, WE DON'T ALL AGREE WHAT IS SPECULATIVE AND, AND WHAT IS NOT, BUT WE NEED TO HAVE SOME CLEAR RULE SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FILTERING OUT THOSE AND, AND ONLY THE, THE, UH, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER FOLKS ARE DEFINING KIND OF MORE SERIOUS AND, AND WHATNOT THAT, THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UH, AND, AND SO I THINK ON, ON THOSE, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS AGAIN, UH, MORE LATER.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE THINK THAT THE, UH, PEC RULES THAT WE'RE GONNA RELY ON, ON THOSE GUIDANCE IS AS THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING THE, THE SB SIX REQUIREMENTS AROUND THAT.
WE, WE THINK THAT THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO, TO THINK ABOUT THAT IN THIS BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND, AND THIS, THIS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, FRAGMENTED OWNERSHIP ISSUE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UH, WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT AS WE, UH, DESIGN THIS PROCESS THAT WE HAVE, UH, KIND OF CLEAR RULES ON WHO'S DOING WHAT AT, AT WHAT POINT.
UM, AND SO WE'RE GONNA COVER THAT IN, UH, JUST, UM, A COUPLE OF SLIDES HERE, BUT ALSO LATER IN THE PRESENTATION.
SO LET'S, UH, LET'S DIVE INTO IT.
UM, SO, UM, I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH AGAIN, JUST HIGH LEVEL.
HOW'S THIS BATCH PROCESS GOING TO WORK? UH, SO I'M GONNA WALK THROUGH EACH OF THESE BOXES.
UH, AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, FIRST YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE DEVELOPERS THAT ARE GOING TO REQUEST TO INTERCONNECT, UH, ON THE SYSTEM, AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A, A SORT OF INITIAL PROCESS AROUND THAT.
UM, THE, UH, I THINK THAT IS LIKELY THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME INTERACTION WITH THE TSP BECAUSE WE NEED TO KNOW, OR ERCOT DOES, DOESN'T KNOW WHERE ON THE SYSTEM THAT LOAD MAY CONNECT.
SO YOU, YOU, YOU, YOU CAN HAVE A GPS COORDINATE, KOTS NOT GOING TO KNOW WHAT THE CORRECT SUBSTATION IS, OR IF THERE'S A, A NEW SUBSTATION THAT NEEDS TO BE BUILT, THAT THAT'S REALLY LOCAL KNOWLEDGE THAT, THAT TSP HAS.
AND, AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO GET THAT, THAT KNOWLEDGE FROM THE TSP.
UH, AND SO WE'RE GONNA TAKE, UH, WITHIN EACH BATCH ALL OF THE LOADS THAT, THAT COME INTO THAT PROCESS.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THOSE, WE'RE GONNA ADD THOSE ONTO THE EXISTING PLANNING FORECAST THAT WE HAVE, AND WE'RE GOING TO RUN THIS, UH, BATCH STUDY.
UH, SHOULD ALSO MENTION THAT, UM, A AS CONTEMPLATED IN THE 58 41 RULE TO PC, UH, WE, WE THINK THAT THERE IS LIKELY SOME SORT OF UPFRONT FINANCIAL COMMITMENT, UH, MAY MAYBE REFUNDABLE, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'LL BE DEFINED THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
BUT AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS, IT, IT'S REALLY THAT INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT REQUIREMENT.
UH, WE, WE THINK THAT THAT IS A GOOD GATE TO, UH, TO FILTER IN OR TO FILTER OUT PROJECTS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MAY MAYBE YOU'RE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECULATIVE IN, IN NATURE.
UH, AND, AND SO THAT WAY YOU HAVE A, A, A GATE AND A FILTER TO GET INTO THE BATCH STUDY.
UH, UH, SO THEN, UH, SO THEN WE ARE GOING TO, IN INTERNALLY WITHIN ERCOT THEN WE, WE, UH, TAKE ALL OF THOSE LOADS THAT ARE, HAVE MET THE CRITERIA TO GET INTO THE BATCH, AND WE NEED TO CREATE THE MODELS THAT WE'RE GOING TO RUN THOSE STUDIES ON.
UH, AND, AND SO THERE'S A PROCESS THAT WE WILL TAKE WHERE WE BUILD THE CASES, BUILD BUILD THOSE MODELS, UM, AND THEN WE WILL GET INTO THE STUDY ITSELF.
UH, THE STUDY IS GOING TO CONSIST OF, UH, BOTH A, A STUDY STATE AND A STABILITY COMPONENT, UM, USING THE, THE MODELS THAT WE CREATED.
SO WE WILL RUN THOSE STUDIES, AND AT THE END OF THAT STUDY PROCESS, WE WILL IDENTIFY HOW MUCH LOAD, HOW, HOW MUCH OF THIS LOAD THAT IS REQUESTING TO INTERCONNECT, HOW MUCH CAN WE RELIABLY SERVE ON THE SYSTEM.
AND WE'RE GONNA DO THAT BY YEAR.
SO EVERY YEAR, FOR EACH OF THOSE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION REQUESTS, WE'RE GOING TO, TO IDENTIFY HOW, HOW MUCH, HOW MANY MEGAWATTS FOR EACH OF THOSE LOADS CAN WE CONNECT BY YEAR.
[00:40:01]
WILL BE THE ALLOCATION, UH, WHERE WE WILL THEN ALLOCATE THAT, THAT LOAD TO EACH OF THOSE, UH, THOSE MEGAWATTS TO EACH OF THOSE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION REQUEST CUSTOMERS.UM, AND THEN THE, THE DEVELOPER THEN WILL HAVE A TIMELINE WHERE THEY NEED TO COMMIT, UH, AND THEY NEED TO MEET THE, UH, WHATEVER THE FULL FINANCIAL COMMITMENT REQUIREMENTS ARE, WHATEVER THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS ARE.
AND AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING TO THAT, UH, 58, 41 RULE AT THE, AT THE PUC TO, TO DEFINE THAT.
UH, WE WILL USE THAT TO, UH, DETERMINE IF THOSE PROJECTS, UH, HA HAVE, UH, QUOTE UNQUOTE FIRMED UP, UH, AND WHAT WE'LL GET INTO MORE DETAILS ON WHAT THAT MEANS LATER.
UH, AND THEN IF THERE ARE ANY TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECTS THAT COME OUT OF THAT, THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THAT STUDY, IF THOSE LOADS COMMIT, THEN THOSE PROJECTS WOULD THEN MOVE FORWARD INTO THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP PROCESS.
SO IT'S, UH, AND, AND AGAIN, WHAT, WE'LL GET INTO DETAILS ON THIS LATER, BUT WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT WE NEED A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM THAT BATCH STUDY INTO THE RPG, PARTICULARLY IF ALL, ALL THE LOADS THAT ARE DRIVING THE NEED FOR THAT TRANSMISSION UPGRADE THAT WAS IN, IN THAT BATCH STUDY, IF THOSE LOADS COMMIT, THEN WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT PROJECT IS MOVING EX EXPEDITIOUSLY THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
UH, AND, AND THEN BETWEEN F AND G THERE, THERE'S REALLY A, A LONG PERIODS IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IT CAN SOMETIMES BE A REALLY LONG PERIOD BETWEEN THOSE, UH, WHERE THE DEVELOPER IS DEVELOPING, UH, THEY, THEY'RE BUILDING THE PROJECT, THEY'RE, THEY'RE DOING THEIR CONSTRUCTION TSPS ARE, ARE, ARE CONSTRUCTING THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES.
UH, BUT THEN IT COMES BACK TO ERCOT THROUGH THAT NORMAL QSA PROCESS THAT WE HAVE TODAY WHERE, WHERE IT'S THAT FINAL KINDA AS-BUILT STUDY OF THE SYSTEM.
SO PLANNING STUDIES ARE RUN SOMETIMES YEARS IN ADVANCE.
THE QSA IS MORE OF AN OPERATIONAL STUDY THAT WE RUN MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF THE ACTUAL OPERATING DAY.
SO, UH, THAT'S THE HIGH LEVEL PROCESS IN A NUTSHELL.
I'M GONNA JUST DIVE, UH, SLIGHTLY DEEPER IN, INTO THAT AND, AND TALK ABOUT, OKAY, WHAT, WHAT ARE EACH OF THE ENTITIES, UH, THE, THE MAJOR ENTITIES DOING HERE? AND HERE I'VE LISTED ERCOT, THE TSP AND, UH, THE DEVELOPER.
UM, THE, THE, UH, THE ACRONYM FOR THE DEVELOPERS IS, UH, ILLE, INTERCONNECTING LARGE LOAD ENTITY.
UM, AND, AND SO WHAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IF YOU START AT THE, AT THE BOTTOM IN THE GRAY THAT THE DEVELOPER THAT THEY'RE GATHERING ALL THEIR MATERIALS, UH, THEY'RE GOING TO SUBMIT THAT INFORMATION TO THE T-S-P-T-S-P IS GOING TO RUN, UH, ALONG WITH THEIR FINANCIAL SECURITY.
TTSP IS GOING TO RUN THEIR, UH, INITIAL STUDIES.
THEY'RE GONNA FIGURE OUT, OKAY, WHERE, WHERE ON, WHERE ON THE SYSTEM, UH, SHOULD I CONNECT THIS LOAD? UH, WHERE, WHERE, WHERE DOES IT MAKE THE MOST SENSE? AND THEN, UM, ALL, ALL OF THE LOADS THAT MEET THE, UH, THE, UH, MILESTONES THAT THE FINANCIAL COMMITMENT THRESHOLDS AND, AND THE, THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE IN THE BATCH, UH, THEY WILL GO INTO THE, THE, UH, THAT BATCH PROCESS.
THEN ERCOT, WE ARE DOING THE CASE BUILDING.
WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING THE MODELS THAT WE NEED TO RUN THE STUDIES.
UH, WE ARE RUNNING THE STUDIES.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THAT, THEN THE, UH, THE CUSTOMER, THE DEVELOPER WILL THEN HAVE A TIME PERIOD AGAIN WHERE, WHERE THEY WILL NEED TO MAKE THEIR FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS.
THEY, THEY WILL NEED TO COMMIT TO CONSTRUCTING THE, THEIR PROJECT, AND THEN THEY WILL START DEVELOPING THEIR PROJECT IN, IN PARALLEL TO THAT, UH, IF THAT CUSTOMER HAS, UM, UH, IF THEY'VE COMMITTED THEN ANY REQUIRED REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECTS, THAT THOSE WILL WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS.
SO TSPS WILL SUBMIT THOSE UPGRADES FOR RPG COMMENT, UH, YOU'LL HAVE YOUR RPG REVIEW PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, THIS, WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT THIS COULD BE A, UH, AN EXPEDITED REVIEW IF ALL OF THE, UH, CUSTOMERS AS, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH A TRANSMISSION PROJECT, IF ALL OF THEM COMMIT AND MOVE FORWARD, THEN WE'RE, WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT THAT'LL BE AN EXPEDITED REVIEW.
UH, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UH, TSP, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GONNA CONSTRUCT THEIR TRANSMISSION AT THE END OF THAT, THAT THE DEVELOPER'S GONNA CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THE PROJECT, AND THEN WE GET TO THE FINISH LINE WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY WILL HAVE GONE THROUGH THE, THE PROCESS.
THEY'LL GONE THROUGH THE QSA AND, AND THEY CAN ENERGIZE.
UM, SO AGAIN, THIS IS HIGH LEVEL, BUT THE INTENTION HERE IS THAT WE LAY OUT A PROCESS WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS THE TIMELINES, THAT THE TIMELINES ARE KNOWN IN ADVANCE FOR HOW LONG EACH OF THESE THINGS ARE GONNA BE.
SO WHEN, WHEN YOU GET TO THE RESULTS OF THE BATCH STUDY, UH, THE, THE STUDY ITSELF, YOU, YOU'RE GONNA KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH TIME IS IT BEFORE I CAN ENERGIZE MY LOAD.
OKAY? SO THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, REAL HIGH LEVEL.
UM, WE'RE GONNA DIVE INTO DETAILS.
UH, SO, UM, SO LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT SCOPE LOOK LIKE? UH, SO IT'S, IF WE, IF WE DIVE INTO THAT BATCH STUDY SCOPE AND THE PROCESS, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN ERCOT SIDE? WHAT, WHAT IS ERCOT DOING DURING THAT TIME PERIOD? UM, IT, AND, UH, SO I'M GONNA DIVE INTO, INTO THE SCOPE.
[00:45:01]
ARE STUDYING YEAR ONE THROUGH YEAR FIVE, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE STUDYING, UH, THREE CASES, OR THREE MODELS, OR THREE CONDITIONS, IF YOU WILL, UH, FOR EACH OF THOSE FIVE YEARS.UH, SO WE WILL STUDY SUMMER PEAK, WE WILL STUDY SUMMER NET PEAK, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, AT WHEN THE SUN SETS AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MORE SOLAR GENERATION ON THE GRID.
UH, WE'RE GONNA STUDY THAT, THAT CONDITION.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL ALSO STUDY FALL PEAK MAINLY FOR MAINTENANCE OUTAGE CONDITIONS.
AND, UM, IF, IF YOU, UH, ARE, ARE REGULAR AT RPG, UH, YOU, YOU PROBABLY UNDERSTAND THE SHORTHAND, UH, N MINUS ONE, UH, G MINUS ONE PLUS N MINUS ONE X MINUS ONE, PLUS N MINUS ONE.
UH, IF YOU'RE NOT, THEN UH, YOU KNOW, TALK TO A PLANER AND THEY WILL EXPLAIN WHAT ALL OF THAT MEANS.
UH, BUT, BUT THESE, THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY THE, THIS IS, THESE ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT WE NEED TO STUDY TO MAKE SURE WE CAN RELIABLY CONNECT THAT LOAD TO THE GRID.
UH, AND SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT ALL THAT IS.
UM, THE, THE, UH, I, I PUT SELECT ON THE, THE, UH, THE G MINUS ONE N MINUS ONE AND X MINUS ONE N MINUS ONE, AND N MINUS ONE MINUS ONE.
UH, SO WHAT WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, UH, SO GG MINUS ONE IS WHERE YOU STUDY A GENERATOR OUT.
UH, AND THIS IS A NERC, UH, REQUIREMENT FOR US TO STUDY THESE, UH, CONDITIONS.
UH, BUT IT MEANS WE ARE NOT AS A, UH, UH, UH, IN CONTRAST TO LIKE THE REGIONAL TRANSMISSION PLAN, WHICH IS A COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM STUDY, UH, THAT THIS IS, UH, WE, WE DON'T HAVE TO STUDY EV EVERYTHING, UH, AS AN EXAMPLE, IF THERE ARE IN A CERTAIN AREA, IF, IF THERE ARE NO LARGE LOADS IN THAT PARTICULAR BATCH THAT ARE PROPOSING TO CONNECT IN THAT AREA, IT, WE DON'T NEED TO STUDY THE GENERATORS OUT OUTAGE CONDITIONS IN THAT AREA.
UH, AND SO WE CAN STUDY, JUST SELECT WE, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME ENGINEERING JUDGMENT ON WHAT WE THINK ARE THE APPROPRIATE GENERATORS TO STUDY THE APPROPRIATE TRANSFORMER OUTAGES TO STUDY AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND SO THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OF A FILTERING PROCESS THAT, THAT WE WILL BE PERFORMING.
UM, OKAY, SO WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT PROCESS LOOK LIKE? SO WE WILL BE, UH, SO FIRST MENTION WE WILL BE CONDITIONING THE MODELS.
WE'LL BE BUILDING THOSE, THOSE MODELS THAT WE'RE USING, CONDITIONING THE CASES, UM, AND THEN WE WILL BE PERFORMING THAT CONTINGENCY ANALYSIS.
AND, AND THIS AGAIN GOES BACK TO THE NERC STANDARDS.
NER NERC HAS RELIABILITY STANDARDS THAT GOVERN HOW WE CONDUCT THESE STUDIES.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, FOLLOWING THOSE.
UH, AND THEN, UH, WHEN WE IDENTIFY THAT WE HAVE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS ON THE SYSTEM, UH, WE WILL ALSO BE LOOKING AT THE IMPACT THAT THE PROPOSED LOADS HAVE ON THOSE CONSTRAINTS.
UH, AND SO IF A LOAD DOESN'T HAVE A LARGE IMPACT ON THAT CONSTRAINT, AND WE'RE DEFINING THAT BY SHIP FACTOR PERCENTAGE, WHICH IS A NUMBER THAT, THAT, I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE TO FILL IN THOSE DETAILS LATER.
UH, BUT IF, IF THE LOAD DOESN'T HAVE, UH, A, A LARGE IMPACT ON THAT CONSTRAINT, THEN, THEN WE'RE NOT GONNA, UH, WE'RE NOT GONNA ADJUST THAT LOAD DOWN FOR THAT CONSTRAINT.
BUT IF THAT LOAD HAS A LARGE IMPACT ON THAT CONSTRAINT, THEN THE WAY THAT WE WILL HANDLE THAT IS WE WILL BACK THAT LOAD DOWN AND, UH, AND OR ANY OTHER LOADS THAT HAVE AN IMPACT UNTIL THAT CONSTRAINT IS RESOLVED.
SO IF, IF YOU, UH, PUT, PUT ALL THE LOADS IN THE MODEL AND YOU SEE THAT YOU HAVE A TRANSMISSION LINE THAT'S LOADED AT 120% UNDER CONTINGENCY, THEN YOU, YOU BACK DOWN UNTIL YOU GET TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.
UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW THAT WORKS.
UM, UH, AND, AND THEN, UM, SO, OKAY, SO THAT'S, THAT WOULD BE A STUDY STATE ANALYSIS.
UH, WE ARE THEN GOING TO PERFORM WHAT WE ARE CALLING A STABILITY SCREENING ANALYSIS.
UH, AND THAT WILL LOOK AT, UM, IT, IT'S NOT A COMPREHENSIVE, AND I'M GONNA GET IN DETAILS ON THIS IN A LITTLE BIT.
UH, IT'S NOT, NOT A COMPREHENSIVE STABILITY ANALYSIS, BUT IT'S A SCREENING ANALYSIS TO IDENTIFY, DO WE THINK THAT THERE ARE POTENTIALLY OTHER, UH, CONSTRAINTS ON THE SYSTEM STABILITY NATURE THAT MAY, UH, LIMIT THE RELIABILITY, UH, OF THAT, UH, LOAD CONNECTING.
UH, AND IF, AND IF THERE IS, THEN AGAIN, WE WILL BACK DOWN THAT, THAT LOAD UNTIL IT REACHES A POINT WHERE WE DON'T HAVE THAT, THAT STABILITY CONSTRAINT.
UM, SO, UH, WE, WE WILL RUN ALL OF THAT AND THEN WE WILL SHARE THE RESULTS WITH THE TSPS, THE, THE IMPACTED TSPS, UH, AND THEN WE WILL WORK WITH THOSE TSPS TO IDENTIFY TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT COULD BE PUT IN PLACE IN A TIMELY MANNER TO ADDRESS THOSE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED.
SO, AS AN EXAMPLE, WE'RE RUNNING THE 2029 CASE, AND WE SEE THAT WE HAVE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS AND WE'VE HAD TO, UH, BACK DOWN, UH, THESE LOADS IN ORDER TO, TO GET BELOW A A HUNDRED PERCENT LOADING ON A CERTAIN TRANSMISSION LINE.
UH, WE WILL THEN WORK WITH TSP AND THE TSP MAY TELL US, HEY, WE, WE THINK THAT WE CAN UPGRADE THAT LINE, WE CAN REBUILD IT.
UH, WE CAN'T GET IT DONE IN 2029, BUT WE THINK WE CAN GET THAT DONE IN 2030.
UH, SO THAT, THAT'S THE KIND OF INTERACTION THAT WE'LL HAVE WITH THE TSPS.
UH, AND IF, IF THAT'S THE ANSWER THAT THEY, THEY
[00:50:01]
GIVE US, THEN WE WILL MODEL THAT UPGRADE IN THE 2030 CASE.AND SO WE WILL TELL THAT LOAD, HEY, IN 2029 WE SEE THIS TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINT.
AND SO YOU, SO YOU, YOU CAN'T GET THE FULL REQUESTED AMOUNT THAT YOU WANT IN 2029, BUT IN 2030 THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH, THE T-S-P-T-S-P THINKS THAT THEY CAN REBUILD THAT TRANSMISSION LINE.
SO IF YOU COMMIT, THEN WE WILL REBUILD THAT TRANSMISSION LINE IN 2030, AND YOU CAN GET YOUR, YOUR FULL MEGAWATTS THAT YOU'VE REQUESTED IN 2030.
UM, SO THAT, THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE WORK THAT'S GOING ON IN THE, UH, IN THE STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND THEN AT THE END OF THAT, WE WILL COMMUNICATE WHAT, UH, WHAT THE RESULTS ARE.
WE'LL COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE, THE ILLE, UH, AND ALSO TO THE TSPS, NOT TSPS.
UH, THEY, THEY WILL GET A REPORT.
IT WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL BECAUSE IT WILL HAVE, UH, CONFIDENTIAL CUSTOMER INFORMATION, BUT IT WILL SHOW THEM, UH, WHICH TRANSMISSION UPGRADES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH, UH, WHICH, UH, LARGE LINEAR INTERCONNECTION REQUESTS.
UM, AND, UH, AND THEN THEY CAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE KNOW WHAT, WHAT PROJECTS HAVE, UH, COMMITTED, THEN, THEN WE CAN KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, WHICH TRANSMISSION PROJECTS TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO JUST, UH, COUPLE MORE SLIDES.
UM, SO, UM, SO, SO, UH, YEAR SIX, I, I DIDN'T WANNA SPEND SOME TIME ON THIS.
IF YOU, IF YOU REMEMBER WHAT I SAID IS THAT WE WILL, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE ONLY STUDYING YEARS ONE THROUGH FIVE, AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE ARE MAKING AN ASSUMPTION ABOUT YEAR SIX.
AND, AND THAT ASSUMPTION IS THAT TRANSMISSION PROJECTS IN ERCOT HISTORICALLY, UH, AND ANY TRANSMISSION PROJECT THAT HAS BEEN PROPOSED, HAS BEEN ABLE TO BE CONSTRUCTED WITHIN SIX YEARS.
UM, AND, AND SO EVEN LARGER, LONGER LEAD TIME, NEW RIGHT OF WAY TRANSMISSION PROJECTS, UH, HISTORICALLY WE HAVE SEEN THAT THOSE PROJECTS CAN GET PUT IN PLACE WITHIN, UH, SIX YEARS.
UH, AND WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT, UH, WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THAT THOSE LARGER PROJECTS, UH, THEY, THEY TAKE MORE COORDINATION, MORE REVIEW, MORE, MORE ENGINEERING STUDY TIME, IF YOU WILL.
UH, AND SO WE THINK THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE BETTER SUITED FOR ANALYSIS IN, UH, EITHER THE REGIONAL TRANSMISSION PLAN OR THROUGH A REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP, UH, REVIEW PROCESS.
UM, AND, AND SO WITH, WITH THAT IN MIND, UH, THE WAY THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT FROM A, A BATCH STUDY PROCESS IS THAT THE BATCH STUDY ITSELF, UH, THE, THE BATCH STUDY ITSELF, UH, WE ARE NOT GOING TO IDENTIFY NEW RIGHT OF WAY OR LONG LEAD TIME TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECTS.
UH, WE, WE WILL LEAVE THAT FOR THE REGIONAL TRANSMISSION PLAN, UH, AND THE RPG PROCESS.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL ASSUME THAT ALL LARGE LOAD REQUESTED CONSUMPTION CAN BE SERVED BY YEAR SIX, UH, WHICH MEANS THAT, UH, WE WILL ALLOCATE THE FULL REQUESTED CONSUMPTION FOR THE LARGE LOAD REQUEST FOR YEAR SIX.
SO, SO IF WE, UH, IN THE EXAMPLE I GAVE, IF, IF WE RUN A STUDY AND, UM, WE SEE THAT THERE'S A CERTAIN TRANSMISSION OVERLOADS THAT WE ARE NOT ABLE TO RESOLVE IN THE FIVE YEARS, UH, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE AN ASSUMPTION THAT IN YEAR SIX THAT SOME WAY THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION PLANNING PROCESS, THAT THOSE, THOSE, UH, ISSUES ARE GOING TO BE RESOLVED THROUGH OUR, OUR NORMAL TRANSMISSION PLANNING PROCESSES.
UH, AND SO THAT, THAT LOAD, THEY MAY GET A LOWER, THEY MAY HAVE ASKED FOR 500 MEGAWATTS, AND MAYBE WE TELL THEM, WE, WE CAN ONLY GIVE YOU 200 MEGAWATTS FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS.
BUT IN YEAR SIX, IT, IT'S, IT'S ALMOST LIKE AN AUTOMATIC ALLOCATION OF THE FULL 500 MEGAWATTS IN YEAR SIX, UH, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S LIKELY A LONGER LEAD TIME TRANSMISSION PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO, TO NEED TO BE CONSTRUCTED, UH, AND THAT THAT'S BETTER HANDLED OUTSIDE OF THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS AND COORDINATED THROUGH THE RTP AND RPG.
UM, SO JESSE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT, UM, THAT, UH, THERE WAS, UH, A LOT OF FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS REGARDING HOW LONG A PROCESS SHOULD TAKE.
UH, AND, UH, I, I THINK I, I HEARD ANYWHERE FROM, UM, 30 DAYS TO I THINK 12 MONTHS.
UM, BUT IT, IT SEEMED LIKE THERE, THERE WAS A, A LOT OF FOLKS THAT THAT THOUGHT, UM, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS MIGHT, MIGHT BE A GOOD CADENCE TO DO, BUT, BUT DEFINITELY WE NEED MULTIPLE, UH, WE NEED TO RUN THIS PROCESS MULTIPLE TIMES A YEAR.
IT CAN'T, IT CAN'T BE A, UH, A ONCE A YEAR, UH, KIND OF A THING.
UH, SO TO, TO COMPLETE THIS PROCESS WITHIN SIX MONTHS, THERE WERE, I THINK, SEVERAL TRADE OFFS THAT WE HAD TO MAKE THAT WANNA BE UPFRONT ABOUT AND GET STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK ON, ON THESE TRADE OFFS.
SO, UH, THE, THE FIRST IS AROUND THE, THE TIME THAT WE ARE ALLOWING THE DEVELOPERS TO COMMIT AT, AT THE END OF
[00:55:01]
THE PROCESS.UH, SO THE, THE REASON THAT WE NEED THAT, UH, AND I THINK JESSE KIND OF, UH, HIT, HIT ON THIS A LITTLE BIT AS WELL, UH, I IS IF WE ARE RUNNING THIS PROCESS, UH, YOU, YOU PERFORM THIS STUDY AND YOU SAY, OKAY, THIS, THIS LOAD, YOU, WE ARE, WE'RE GOING TO ALLOCATE 500 MEGAWATTS TO THIS LOAD BECAUSE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THEY'VE REQUESTED AND, AND WE KNOW THAT WE CAN SERVE THAT GOING INTO THE NEXT BATCH.
YOU, YOU NEED TO KNOW IF THAT LOAD HAS, UH, IS GOING TO MOVE FORWARD IF THEY'RE GOING TO COMMIT OR, OR NOT.
UH, AND SO THAT, THAT THE STUDY AND THAT COMMITMENT ALL HAVE TO FIT INTO THAT ENTIRE, THAT PROCESS WINDOW, BECAUSE YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT GOING INTO THE NEXT ONE, IF YOU'RE GONNA HOLD THOSE 500 MEGAWATTS, UH, IN, IN RESERVE OR NOT, SO TO SPEAK, UH, AND, AND SO THAT ALL THAT HAS TO FIT WITHIN THAT, THAT PROCESS TIMELINE.
UH, AND, AND SO WHEN, WHEN WE LAID OUT THIS STUDY PROCESS, UH, TO, TO BUILD THE MODELS AND, UM, AND TO RUN THAT STUDY, AND, AND EVEN WE, WE'VE BUILT SOME KIND OF PARALLEL TIME IN THERE.
WE'RE, WE'RE ACTUALLY STARTING TO BUILD THE MODELS WHILE THE, THE PREVIOUS BATCH.
SO, SO, UH, SO FOR, UH, BATCH N PLUS ONE, WE'RE BUILDING THE MODELS WHILE BATCH N IS RUNNING.
UH, SO EVEN WITH THAT, UH, IT, IT, IT STILL, UH, YOU, WE HAD TO CONDENSE IT TO ABOUT FIVE MONTHS, UH, FOR THAT, THAT COMMITMENT TIME, OR SORRY FOR THE, UM, THE CASE BUILDING TIME AND THE ENGINEERING THE STUDY TIME.
UH, SO THAT LEAVES ONLY ABOUT ONE MONTH FOR CUSTOMERS TO COMMIT.
AND THAT WAS ON THE, I THINK THE, THE LOW END OF WHAT WE HEARD FORM FROM, UH, DEVELOPERS ON HOW MUCH TIME THAT THEY, THEY NEEDED TO, TO MOVE FORWARD.
UH, AND SO, SO THAT, THAT WAS ONE TRADE OFF THAT WE HAD TO MAKE, YOU KNOW, IN INTERESTED TO HEAR FEEDBACK ON THAT.
UM, THE, THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT, OR ANOTHER THING THAT WE HAD TO MAKE A TRADE OFF ON WAS THE STABILITY ANALYSIS.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH IT, IT'S, IT'S, UH, EXTREMELY COMPLEX, UH, TO BUILD THOSE MODELS.
IT'S, IT'S COMPLEX TO RUN THAT ANALYSIS.
UH, AND, AND WHEN WE LAID OUT HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO, TO PERFORM THAT ANALYSIS, UH, IT, IT, IT WAS, UH, WHAT THE ENGINEERS CAME UP WITH IS ABOUT FIVE MONTHS TO COMPLETE THAT ANALYSIS.
AND SO, OBVIOUSLY, FIVE MONTH TIME PERIOD DOESN'T WORK.
UH, IF YOU'RE JUST DOING THE STABILITY ANALYSIS AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO RUN THAT AFTER YOU BUILT YOUR MODELS AND AFTER YOU'VE RUN AT LEAST YOUR INITIAL PART OF YOUR STUDY STATE ANALYSIS, THAT THAT DOESN'T FIT WITHIN A SIX MONTH TIME PERIOD.
UH, AND SO THAT THOUGHT THROUGH THAT, AND, UM, THE, UH, TEAM CAME UP WITH A WAY, A TECHNIQUE TO RUN A SCREENING OF THE STABILITY SO THAT WE CAN SORT OF FILTER OUT WHERE, WHERE WE THINK THERE ARE, UM, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE STABILITY PROBLEMS ON THE SYSTEM.
UH, WHAT THAT MEANS IS IF WE ARE RUNNING THAT, THAT KIND OF SCREENING ANALYSIS, IT MEANS WE NECESSARILY ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE CONSERVATIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO, UH, ALLOCATE MEGAWATTS TO A LOAD AND THEN HAVE TO COME BACK LATER AND SAY, OH, WE, WE FOUND THE STABILITY THAT WE, WE RAN STABILITY STUDIES AND WE FOUND THE STABILITY PROBLEM THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
AND, AND SO, YOU KNOW, SORRY, WE TOLD YOU YOU COULD HAVE 500 MEGAWATTS.
YOU CAN REALLY ONLY HAVE 200 MEGAWATTS.
WE, YOU KNOW, CAN'T HAVE THAT HAPPEN.
UH, AND SO THE, THE TRADE OFF THERE IS THAT WE NEED TO BE CONSERVATIVE WHERE WE THINK WE MIGHT HAVE STABILITY PROBLEMS ON THE SYSTEM, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE CONSERVATIVE IN HOW WE ALLOCATE THOSE, THOSE MEGAWATTS.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE LAST, UH, ON THIS IS THE, UM, UH, THE, THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION.
UH, SO IF YOU, UM, I THINK WE'VE GOT A GANTT CHART LATER.
I THINK WE, WE'VE GOT, UH, FOR THE STEADY STATE ANALYSIS, WE REALLY ONLY HAVE ABOUT THREE MONTHS IN THAT SIX MONTH TIME PERIOD WHERE WE'RE RUNNING THAT STEADY STATE ANALYSIS.
AND YOU ARE IDENTIFYING TRANSMISSION UPGRADES.
UH, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT MORE COMPLEX, UH, TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECTS PRO PROBABLY AREN'T GOING TO FIT IN THAT TIME PERIOD.
'CAUSE NOT, NOT ONLY IN THAT THREE MONTHS ARE YOU, UH, DOING THAT PROJECT IDENTIFICATION, BUT YOU'RE ALREADY, YOU, YOU'RE ALSO FINDING WHERE, WHERE ARE THERE PROBLEMS ON THE SYSTEM.
SO YOU, YOU'RE RUNNING THOSE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MORE RUNNING FIVE YEARS OF ANALYSIS WITH THREE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS FOR EACH OF THOSE FIVE YEARS.
THAT'S 15 MODELS THAT WE'RE RUNNING, UH, AND ANALYZING.
UH, AND, AND THEN AS YOU'RE BUILDING THOSE, EVERY, EVERY, UH, OF THOSE GENERATOR OUTER SCENARIOS, EVERY ONE OF THOSE TRANSFORMER OUTER SCENARIOS, YOU, YOU ARE, UH, BUILDING NEW MODELS TO RUN THOSE, THOSE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS, UH, THOSE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS.
UM, AND SO THAT THE, THE STUDY PROCESS TO DO THAT, IT, IT DOESN'T LEAVE.
UH, THERE IS TIME IN THAT PROCESS TO HAVE THAT, THAT BACK AND FORTH WITH THE, THE TRANSMISSION SERVICE PROVIDERS, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE TIME WE WOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY MORE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, UH, THROUGH THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND SO THAT, THAT WAS A, A TRADE OFF THAT WE TALKED ABOUT AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST HAD TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, THAT, THAT THAT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE HAD TO DO TO, TO FIT A SIX MONTH PROCESS.
[01:00:01]
UM, YEAH, WHAT, SO, YEAH, ONE, ONE OTHER THOUGHT ON THAT IS, UM, SO WE, WE'VE, UH, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH, UH, DIFFERENT, UM, SOFTWARE VENDORS ABOUT, UM, WAYS THAT WE CAN AUTOMATE SOME OF THIS.UH, I THINK THERE ARE SOME POTENTIAL, UM, AI USE CASES HERE THAT, THAT WE'RE INVESTIGATING OR WE COULD MAKE THIS PROCESS RUN FASTER.
UH, I THINK THE WAY THAT WE HAVE DESIGNED THIS PROCESS INITIALLY IS, UH, WE, NONE OF THOSE, NONE OF THOSE, UH, SOFTWARE TOOLS WE HAVE IN-HOUSE.
WE'VE DESIGNED THIS PROCESS AROUND THE SOFTWARE TOOLS THAT WE INHOUSE THAT WE HAVE IN-HOUSE THAT WE KNOW HOW TO USE.
UH, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW, A YEAR FROM NOW OR TWO YEARS FROM NOW, THAT WE'LL STILL BE LIMITED TO THAT.
WE ARE INVESTIGATING OTHER TOOLS THAT THAT WOULD MAYBE ALLOW US TO, UH, SPEED UP THE PROCESS, BUT DI DIDN'T WANT TO COMMIT TO THAT WITHOUT HAVING THOSE TOOLS, UH, PROVED OUT.
UM, I THINK THIS IS THE, UH, LAST, LAST SLIDE I HAVE BEFORE I'LL PAUSE AND, AND TAKE QUESTIONS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THIS IS JUST THE, UH, THE TIMELINE THAT, THAT WE'VE, UH, LAID OUT.
UH, THIS IS ASSUMING, UH, UH, AGAIN, TWO, TWO BATCHES PER YEAR.
UH, SO WE HAVE TIMELINE ONE AND TIMELINE TWO.
UM, I, UM, I DON'T THINK I'M, I'M NOT GONNA WALK THROUGH EACH OF THESE, BUT, UH, JUST WANTED TO PUT THOSE UP.
UH, AND, AND I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS, DEPENDING ON WHEN WE START, UH, THESE COULD SLIDE, YOU KNOW, A MONTH OR TWO, EITHER WAY.
UH, BUT THIS IS RIGHT NOW, AT LEAST AS, AS WE'VE LAID IT OUT, WE THINK THAT THIS IS A, A WORKABLE TIME TIMETABLE.
UM, SO WITH THAT, I'M SURE WE HAVE A QUEUE.
UM, LET ME PAUSE AND, UH, TAKE QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS.
UM, JUST TO CREATE A WORD PICTURE OF WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE 680 PEOPLE ONLINE.
WE HAVE 34 PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE, SO IF WE LINE THEM UP AT THIS MICROPHONE, THEY'D BE OUT THE DOOR.
UM, SO I'M GOING TO SEE HOW THIS GOES.
UH, I'M GONNA ASK FOR BRIEF AND AMAZING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
UH, WE'LL ALSO AS ERCOT FIGURE OUT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW DO I TREAT, YOU KNOW, SOME TECHNICAL DETAIL.
WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON FEEDBACK ON THE POLICY AND THE PROCESS AT A HIGHER LEVEL TO GET TO THE REAL, WHERE WE'RE STUCK MOMENTS.
UM, AND AGAIN, SO WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK RIGHT NOW ABOUT BATCH ZERO.
THAT'S THE NEXT SECTION OF DISCUSSION.
ALSO, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT NEXT GENERATION OF TOOLS.
WE CAN'T PIVOT TO THAT FAST ENOUGH RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE INVESTIGATING THOSE.
AND SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA START TO WORK THE QUEUE.
PLEASE LISTEN TO QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
AND IF YOU'RE REMOVED FROM THE QUEUE, I'M SORRY, YOU CAN REMOVE YOURSELF FROM THE QUEUE BY SAYING, PLEASE TAKE ME OUTTA THE QUEUE.
ALRIGHT, COREY, WE'RE AT 34 PEOPLE, CORRECT? AND I'M GONNA START WITH NOW, I'VE SEEN YOUR FIRST STEP NAV.
IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.
ALRIGHT, NAV, WE'LL GO ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
JUMP BACK IN THE QUEUE IF WE NEED TO COME BACK TO YOU.
ROBBIE TU UH, CAN YOU, I CAN GO AHEAD.
YEAH, ON SLIDE, ON SLIDE 12, UH, THERE IS A MENTION REGARDING THE COMMITMENT FROM THE TRANSMISSION OWNER.
I'M NOT, UM, I'M GONNA GIVE THE INSTRUCTIONS.
IF YOU'RE IN THE ROOM AND WANT TO ASK THE QUESTION, KEEP YOUR COMPUTER MUTED.
COME ON UP TO THE FRONT, AND IF YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE QUEUE AND YOU KNOW IT'S COMING, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND HOVER OVER HERE.
BUT ROBBIE, IF YOU WANNA COME OVER TO THIS MICROPHONE, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
AND FRED, IF YOU CAN HELP WITH THE GREEN MIC BARK SALE YOU GOT? YEAH, YEAH.
SORRY FOR EVERYONE IN THE ROOM.
THERE'S TWO GUEST CHAIRS ON THE CORNER, SO IF YOU'RE IN THE WEBEX QUEUE, BE READY ON A MICROPHONE IN THE ROOM AND WE'LL GO FROM THERE.
YEAH, IF YOU'RE ONLINE, YOU CAN DO IT OVER THE PHONE.
UH, I THINK, YEAH, I THANK OUR COURT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MCKENZIE, FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER ADDS LOT OF CLARITY, UM, ON THE COMMITMENT TIME WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, WANT TO GET THE COURT'S FEEDBACK ON HOW THEY VIEW INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT.
UM, FOR THE LLI REQUESTS AS OF TODAY, SOME INTERCONNECTION REQUESTS ARE SIGNED PRIOR TO EVEN STUDY GETTING STARTED.
SOME ARE SIGNED AFTER THE ERCOT APPROVAL IS DONE.
[01:05:01]
THERE IS ALSO A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS SIGNED BY A TRANSMISSION OWNER WHO IS ALSO AN LSC AND A TRANSMISSION OWNER, YOU KNOW, AND SOME I IAS ARE NOT SIGNED BY TRANSMISSION OWNERS.CAN YOU DEFINE THAT BECAUSE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT AS IT DIFFERENTIATES YOUR READINESS? YEAH, SO I, I THINK THE, THE VISION GOING FORWARD IS THAT THERE WON'T BE THIS DIVERSITY BETWEEN D DIFFERENT TSPS AND, AND WHAT THEY CALL AGREEMENTS AND KNOTS.
AND THAT IS, UM, I I THINK FROM THE, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, SENATE BILL SIX HAD CERTAIN RULES THAT, UH, UH, THAT, THAT PERTAIN TO THIS, UH, THE COMMISSION.
BUT THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION IS WORKING TO IMPLEMENT THOSE RULES IN SEVERAL RULEMAKINGS.
UH, IN IN PARTICULAR, I WOULD POINT OUT 58 481 WHI, WHICH WE THINK SHOULD STANDARDIZE WHAT AN INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT IS, UH, ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
AND, AND SO THAT, THAT IS THE INTERCONNECTION.
WHEN, WHEN, WHEN I SAY INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, I, I AM REFERRING TO THAT 58 481, UH, THAT WHATEVER AND THAT RULE MAKING IS DRAFT RIGHT NOW.
AND, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THAT THERE'S, THERE'S STILL SOME WORK TO BE DONE THERE, BUT, BUT THAT, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE REFERRING TO WHEN WE SAY INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT IS, IS THAT WHAT WHATEVER GETS DEFINED IN THAT RULE, IF, IF FOLLOW UP, AND OBVIOUSLY I SHOULDN'T BE ASKING ABOUT BATCH ZERO, BUT WHEN BATCH ZERO COMES, CAN YOU PLEASE CLARIFY WHAT THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT IS? NOPE.
BECAUSE I'M SORRY, I I'M GONNA HAVE TO INTERRUPT YOU.
WE HAVE 33 PEOPLE ON THIS TOPIC, SO WE HAVE TO MOVE ON.
SO NAV THING, I WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO COME BACK OFF MUTE AND TRY TO GET, SINCE WE MISSED YOU BEFORE.
SO NAV HAS DONE, ROBBIE'S DONE ONTO BILL BARNES.
BILL BARNES, NRG, UH, JEFF AND ERCOT TEAM REALLY APPRECIATE CLEARLY THE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF WORK AND THOUGHT PUT INTO THIS.
UH, WE APPRECIATE THE DEPTH OF CONTENT FOR US TO REACT TO.
AND MATT, UH, GOD BLESS YOU FOR PILOTING THIS SHIP, MY MAN, MY QUESTIONS ON SLIDE.
SLIDE EIGHT IN THE PROPOSAL FOR ADOPTION FOR PROJECT 58 4 80, WHICH IS THE LOAD FORECAST CRITERIA, WHICH IS NOT APPROVED YET, MAYBE ON FRIDAY, BUT LET'S ASSUME THERE ISN'T MAJOR CHANGES TO THAT, UH, FINAL RULE THAT DICTATES WHAT LOADS NEED TO MEET TO BE INCLUDED INTO THE PLANNING FORECAST.
THIS SLIDE CONFUSES ME BECAUSE THE LITTLE, UM, ORANGE OR YELLOW DOLLAR SIGN IS AFTER THE PLANNING FORECAST IS DEVELOPED, NOT BEFORE MM-HMM
NOT ONLY IN THE 2026 RDP, BUT THE CRITERIA IS YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE THE FINANCIAL SECURITY BEFORE YOUR LOAD APPEARS IN THE PLANNING FORECAST.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU COULD READ OUT THAT.
YEAH, THANKS FOR POINTING THAT OUT, BILL.
SO I, I HAD A MORE COMPLICATED VERSION OF, OF THIS SLIDE THAT, THAT SHOWED THAT, UH, OR THIS DIAGRAM.
UH, SO YOU, YOU ARE RIGHT AND, AND WE ARE, UH, ENVISIONING THAT, UM, THERE, THERE IS MAY MAYBE THINK OF ANOTHER ARROW.
SO A, AFTER THAT, THAT THAT DOLLAR SIGN THAT'S BETWEEN E AND F, THAT THAT IS YOUR INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, FINANCIAL COMMITMENT, THAT THAT THEN GOES INTO THE NEXT PLANNING FORECAST.
SO, SO THAT PLANNING FORECAST WILL GET UPDATED WITH ANY LOADS THAT HAVE MET THAT INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, FINANCIAL COMMITMENT, THEN THAT GOES INTO THE, THE NEXT PLANNING FORECAST.
SO, SO IF YOU SEE THAT PLANNING FORECAST BOX THAT, UM, UH, THE, THE, THE NEW LOAD THAT IS GETTING ADDED JUST GOES INTO THE BATCH STUDY, BUT THAT WOULD NOT GO INTO SAY RT PT P OR AN OUR RPG PROJECT REVIEW.
SO WHAT THAT, THAT LOAD HASN'T COMMITTED YET.
BUT ONCE THAT LOAD COMMITS, THEN THERE'S KIND OF A FEEDBACK AND IT GOES INTO THE NEXT, NEXT ONE, NEXT PLANNING FORECAST.
SO WHAT, WHAT'S THE DOLLAR SIGN BETWEEN B AND C THEN? SO THAT, THAT IS, UH, AS CONTEMPLATED IN, IN THE DRAFT 58 41, THAT, THAT IS THE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT.
AND THEN NEXT SLIDE, SLIDE NINE.
AND THIS IS JUST REALLY A MORE OF A GLOBAL HIGH LEVEL, UH, QUESTION ABOUT THE BATCH PROCESS AND THE RTP AND THIS CONCEPT WAS PROPOSED, UH, IN A SIMILAR FASHION BY GOOGLE AND LAND SIM AND FIGURE 1 41.
IT SURE LOOKS TO ME LIKE THE BATCH PROCESS ACCOMPLISHES A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS THAT THE RTP DOES.
WHY DO WE NEED BOTH? WHY CAN'T THE BATCH PROCESS BECOME WE DO IT AN RTP TWICE A YEAR AND IT'S
[01:10:01]
ALL IN ONE SINGLE CONSOLIDATED PROCESS? YEAH, SO, UH, SO, UM, I THINK TWO REASONS.SO ONE IS THE, THE RTP IS INTENDED TO BE A, UM, A COMPREHENSIVE TPL DASH 0 0 1 DASH FIVE IN NERC SPEAK.
IT, IT IS INTENDED TO ACCOMPLISH THAT, UM, THAT, THAT COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM REVIEW MM-HMM
UH, THE, THE WHERE, WHEREAS THE BATCH STUDY IS, I'M GONNA SPEAK IN NERC LANGUAGE AGAIN, IS IS A FACT TWO ASSESSMENT.
SO IT, IT'S THE ASSESSMENT OF I HAVE NEW LARGE LOADS THAT ARE CONNECTING TO THE SYSTEM.
I, I'M REALLY JUST FOCUSED ON THOSE LARGE LOADS.
SO IF I DON'T HAVE ANY LARGE LOADS IN A CERTAIN AREA OF THE SYSTEM, THE BATCH STUDY IS NOT, IT, IT, IT'S NOT STUDYING THAT PART OF THE SYSTEM.
WHEREAS FOR RTP, IT, IT, IT, IT'S A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT, AT, AT THE, UM, AT THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE.
UH, AND IT, AND THE OTHER PART IS THAT IT IS RRTP COVERS SIX YEARS.
WHERE IS THE BATCH STUDY TO FIT IT IN THAT SIX MONTH TIME PERIOD? WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE ONLY ONLY LOOKING AT FIVE YEARS.
UH, AND SO WE ARE SAVING THOSE, UH, KIND OF LARGER, LARGER, LARGER IN SCOPE PROJECTS WILL BE WORKED AND IDENTIFIED IN RTP.
I WILL SAY WHAT BILL JUST ASKED WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION THAT QUESTION'S BEEN ASKED 20 TIMES EASY.
SO DID EVERYONE GET, I'M SORRY, I CAN'T ASK THAT.
'CAUSE THEN WE HAVE MORE PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE.
AND THANK YOU JEFF AS WELL FOR, UH, TAKING THE FIRING LINE.
UM, KIND OF DOVETAILING OFF OF THE CONVERSATION YOU AND BILL JUST HAD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW THE, THE STEPS THAT YOU HAD ON SLIDE SIX, UM, YOU KNOW THOSE, SORRY, SLIDE EIGHT.
SO I THINK WHAT THAT HIGHLIGHTS IS THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING HERE A VISION FOR THE LONG TERM, AND THEN YES, FROM THERE YOU NEED TO TRY TO WORK IN THE INTERIM PROCESS TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO GET SOMETHING GOING IN, IN THE TRANSITIONAL PERIOD WITH THE BATCH ZERO PART THAT WE'LL GET INTO LATER.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S JUST AN IMPORTANT THING TO, TO HIGHLIGHT FOR FOLKS IS THAT THERE, THERE, YOU'LL HAVE TO TRY TO, TO NAVIGATE THAT.
UM, ONE QUESTION I HAD ON THIS PARTICULAR SLIDE THOUGH IS ON, ON A, AND KIND OF TAKING THAT CAVEAT ABOUT THE TRANSITIONAL PROCESS AND THE PROJECT 5 8 4 8 1 RULEMAKING IS ONGOING AND, AND NOT DONE YET.
IN THE INTERIM PROCESS, WELL, INTERIM AND LONG TERM, ASIDE FROM THOSE 5 8 4 8 1 CRITERIA, WHAT IS THE, THE INPUTS THAT ERCOT NEEDS TO, UH, TO START OFF THE, THE BATCH STUDIES? IS THAT THE SAME INFORMATION THAT GOES TO THE TSPS CURRENTLY WHEN THEY DO THEIR STUDY STATE AND, UH, STABILITY STUDIES? UM, I, I THINK IN SHORT, YES.
UH, WE'LL GET INTO MORE DETAILS.
I'VE GOT A SLIDE ON THIS LATER.
ALRIGHT, NEXT IS MIKE REI, CAN YOU INTRODUCE WHICH COMPANY YOU'RE WITH? AND GO AHEAD.
UH, SO, UH, MIKE DE IS, UH, WITH ZERO MISSION GRID.
UH, SO TWO QUESTION NUMBER ONE, UM, OUTSIDE AIR, ALSO, THERE ARE OTHER MARKETS WHO ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE THEIR LARGE ROAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS.
UH, ONE OF THEM BEACHES, PJM, AND THEY ARE PROPOSING MULTIPLE OPTIONS AND IT LOOKS LIKE DIFFERENT CONSUMERS, THEY CAN CHOOSE DIFFERENT PATH, AND ONE OF THEM IS A BASICALLY CON AND MANAGED APPROACH, WHICH BASICALLY IS A HISTORICAL ER CARD GENERATION INTERCONNECTION PROCESS.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION IN MY MIND IS, HAS ERCO CONSIDERED THAT FOR, I MEAN, AT LEAST FOR A SECONDARY OPTION FOR, UH, CERTAIN FOLKS? UH, YEAH.
AND, UM, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT THAT LATER.
THAT, THAT, SO THAT WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT WOULD BE UNDER THE, THE CONTROLLABLE LOAD RESOURCE FRAMEWORK.
AND THERE ARE SLIDES ON CONTROLLABLE LOAD RESOURCE.
UH, AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION IS, UH, I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE THE MAIN TRIGGER FOR THE BATCH ANALYSIS IS THE FACT THAT THERE HAS TO BE A LOT OF REAL STUDIES FOR THESE LOADS TO BECOME SHOW UP AS THE STUDY PROGRESSES DURING THE SERIAL PROCESS OR THE PGR 1 1 15 PROCESS.
AND AS A PART OF THE BASH ANALYSIS, WE ARE INTRODUCING A LOT OF EARLY ON COMMITMENTS, UM, AS YOU KINDA EXPLAINED, AFTER DAYS TO KIND OF SIGN TECHNICIAN EQUIPMENT AND PAY WHATEVER THEY HAVE TO PAY.
HAVE YOU EXPLORED THE SAME LEVEL OF COMMITMENT IN THE EXISTING CELLULAR PG R ONE ONE PROCESS AND HOW THEY MAY, HOW IT MAY REDUCE THE NEED FOR THESE REAL STUDIES, OR IN FACT ELIMINATE THEM? AND IF THERE IS ANY REAL STUDIES
[01:15:01]
NEEDED, THOSE COULD BE CAPTURED AS A PART OF THE QSA PROCESS.SO, YEAH, SO YOU, YOU'RE SAYING THAT, UM, YOU, YOU COULD INTRODUCE THAT HIGHER LEVEL OF UPFRONT COMMITMENT WITHIN THE, THE EXISTING, THE 1 1 5 PROCESS, AND I THINK YOU, YOU, YOU COULD, WE, WE STILL THINK THAT THAT DOESN'T ELIMINATE THE RISK TO THE CUSTOMERS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THE HA HAVING TO GO THROUGH THIS RE-STUDY PROCESS.
'CAUSE IT, IT STILL MAY BE YOU, YOU MAY HAVE AN AREA WHERE YOU HAVE FOUR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE REALLY SERIOUS, UH, AND, AND THEY ARE WILLING TO PUT UP THAT, THAT UPFRONT FINANCIAL COMMITMENT.
YOU, YOU STILL HAVE THAT RISK OF IF YOU'RE THE LAST ONE, THEN, THEN YOU'VE HAD TO REDO YOUR STUDY THREE OR FOUR TIMES.
VENCAT, NGA POLY, YOU CAN IDENTIFY WHICH COMPANY YOU'RE WITH.
THIS IS VENKAT NALA POLY FROM VISTA ENERGY.
SO IN SLIDE D, UNDER STEP D, CAN YOU DEFINE WHAT THOSE THREE SCENARIOS ARE? UH, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 15 CASES PER STUDY AND
THAT MEANS YEAR 1, 2, 3, TO FIVE.
UH, HOW DOES THAT, UH, STUDY YEAR, UM, UH, ENCOMPASS IN THE STUDY CASES? RIGHT? YEAH.
SO IT'S, IT IS FOR EACH OF YEAR ONE THROUGH FIVE, IT IS THE SUMMER PEAK.
IT IS THE SUMMER NET PEAK, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY AT, AT SUNSET, AND IT IS THE FALL PEAK.
SO THOSE ARE YOUR THREE CASES PER EACH OF THOSE FIVE YEARS.
SO, UH, IN ONE OF THE SLIDES IN THE TIMELINE SLIDE THAT WE MENTIONED, UH, UH, THERE IS A SCREEN STUDY THAT NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED BY THE STUDY.
CAN YOU SET SOME MORE LIGHT ON THE SCREEN STUDY THAT THE TS ARE GOING TO DO? IS IT GOING TO BE, BE IDENTICAL TO WHAT, UH, THE GENERATION CHANGE STUDY THAT PERFORMED RIGHT NOW? OR IS IT ANY DIFFERENT? YEAH, SO THAT'S, UM, SO I THINK THE QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THIS, UH, SCREENING STUDY? UH, SO WE ARE, UH, I THINK SOMEWHAT LOOKING AT THE DRAFT OF 58 4 81, WHICH WHICH IT CONTEMPLATES, UH, A, A SCREENING STUDY THAT WOULD BE PERFORMED BY THE TSPS.
UM, I, I THINK THAT, UM, OR I THINK FROM AN ERCOT PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE DON'T SEE A NEED TO DICTATE THAT A SCREENING STUDY MUST BE PERFORMED.
UH, BUT IT MAY BE THAT TSPS AND OR THE DEVELOPERS THAT THE CUSTOMERS MAY WANT TO HAVE SUCH A SCREENING STUDY.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I THINK YOU, YOU'LL IN PARENTHESES WE WE'RE SAYING THIS IS, UH, OPTIONAL.
I THINK IT'S OPTIONAL FROM AN ERCOT PERSPECTIVE, UM, I THINK WE'RE OPEN.
IF EVERYBODY SAYS, YEAH, WE, WE THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO HA HAVE A REQUIREMENT TO, TO HAVE A SCREENING STUDY, UM, THEN I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN TO WRITING THAT INTO THE REVISION REQUEST.
UH, I THINK THAT THE PC, DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS WITH, WITH 58 41, THAT THEY MAY HAVE A REQUIREMENT FOR THAT SCREENING STUDY.
UM, SO I THINK A, A LITTLE BIT OF THAT IS, AGAIN, TO BE DETERMINED.
BUT, UM, I THINK FROM AN ERCOT PERSPECTIVE, AGAIN, I THINK IT'S, IT'S, I DUNNO IF OPTION, MAYBE OPTIONAL, MAYBE NOT THE BEST WORD, BUT I, I THINK IT'S, WE, WE, WE DON'T SEE THAT WE ERCOT HAS TO HAVE THAT SCREENING STUDY.
AND SO IS THE SIX MONTH STUDY PERIOD PURELY BASED ON STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, IT'S, SO WILL ERCOT CONSIDER SPANNING OUT THE STUDY PERIOD LONGER TO ENSURE INCLUSION OF LIKE ALL STUDY ASPECTS SUCH AS LIKE THE RPG REVIEW, SHORT CIRCUIT AND, UM, SSR STUDIES? Y YEAH.
AND SO, UM, THE, THE ASPECTS THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SHORT CIRCUIT, THE S, THE SSR, UM, OUR, WE, WE WILL GET INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT LATER.
UH, IN SHORT, I THINK IT'S ERCO T'S VISION THAT ERCOT IS NOT PERFORMING THOSE STUDIES, THAT THOSE WOULD BE PERFORMED IN PARALLEL WITH, WITH THE TSPI.
I THINK IF FEEDBACK FROM, SO, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I WALKED THROUGH THE, UH, THE, THE KIND OF THE TRADE-OFFS THAT WE WENT THROUGH AS, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN DESIGNING THIS PROCESS TO, TO GET IT TO A SIX MONTH PROCESS.
UH, WE, WE HAD TO MAKE A NUMBER OF TRADE-OFFS.
IF, IF WE GET FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS THAT NO, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'D RATHER YOU, UH, NOT MAKE SOME OF THOSE TRADE-OFFS BECAUSE WE WANT LONGER TIME TO COMMIT, OR, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THE FULL STABILITY ANALYSIS OR, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT HAVE YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE OPEN TO EXTENDING
[01:20:01]
THAT.UM, BUT I THINK BASED ON INITIAL FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM INTERVIEWS, UH, I I, I THINK THAT I, I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF, IF THAT'S THE DIRECTION STAKEHOLDERS WANNA GO.
AND, AND SLIDE 10, IT LOOKS LIKE N MINUS ONE STUDY IS NOT PERFORMED FOR FALL PEAK, IS THAT CORRECT? SO FALL PEAK WOULD JUST BE MAINTENANCE OUTAGE AND NOT ANYTHING ABOVE, RIGHT? YEAH, SO WE, WE ARE, WE'RE MAKING AN ASSUMPTION THAT THE WORST N MINUS CONDITION IS GOING TO BE IN THE SUMMER.
UH, AND SO WE DON'T NEED TO, UM, EITHER BE SUMMER OR SUMMER NET PEAK.
UH, AND SO THE, THE REASON FOR PERFORMING THAT FALL PEAK CASE IS, IS REALLY JUST TO CAPTURE THE, THE MAINTENANCE OUTAGE CONDITION.
ALRIGHT, CLAYTON, YOU'RE NEXT.
IF YOU CAN ANSWER YOUR, UH, COMPANY IN QUESTION.
CLAYTON GREER HAVEN'T HEARD YOU YET.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? NOW WE CAN PROCEED.
UH, I'VE GOT THE DOUBLE MUTE THING GOING.
UH, CLAYTON GRAY WITH CHOA, UM, ON THE, UH, LIST OF PROJECTS THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE GONNA SOLVE FOR, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SOLVE FOR NEW LINES, IS IS WHAT THAT SLIDE SAID.
UM, AND THAT, I GUESS IS DUE TO LONG LEAD ITEMS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE VIEWING THAT AS TOO LONG OF A LEAD ITEM.
YOU'RE WANTING TO CATCH THOSE IN THE RTP CASES? YES.
AND THEN SO, UH, WHAT IS IN YOUR DEFINITION OF THE LONG LEAD ITEM, BECAUSE BREAKERS RIGHT NOW ARE THREE YEARS OUT AND EVERY ONE OF THESE PROJECTS ARE GONNA NEED NEW BAYS IN SWITCHING STATIONS THAT WOULD REQUIRE BREAKERS.
SO YOU'RE AT A MINIMUM THREE YEARS OUT UNLESS SOMEBODY'S PRE-ORDERED THE BREAKERS.
YEAH, THAT, THAT'S A GOOD CLARIFICATION.
SO YEAH, WHEN, WHEN WE SAY LONG LEAD WE'RE, WE'RE THINKING SIX YEARS.
SO, SO IT'S, DO YOU THINK THEY NEED TRANSMISSION LINE IS GONNA BE BE A SIX YEAR PROJECT? YEAH.
SORRY, I DIDN'T CATCH OFF OF THAT, BUT YEAH, IT, IT'S, YEAH, ANY, RIGHT, RIGHT NOW I THINK IT'S ANY NEW RIGHT OF WAY PROJECT OR ANY OTHER PROJECT THAT TSP TELLS US, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T GET EQUIPMENT FOR SIX YEARS OR, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THAT MAY BE, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS PROBABLY GONNA BE MORE COMPLEX PROJECTS.
AND THEN I'M, I'M GONNA MAKE THE SAME STATEMENT.
I MADE A LARGE LOAD ON THE, ON THE RPG THAT THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF RPG HAS TO CHANGE FOR THIS TO BE FUNCTIONAL BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ENGINEERS IN THE FOLLOWING PROCESSES, BUT THOSE PROCESSES NEED TO BE MODIFIED TO WHERE YOU CAN GET THIS ROLLED OUT IN A, IN A MATTER OF A MONTH TOPS.
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T SIT AROUND FOR A YEAR ON, ON ALL THESE PROJECTS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT IS MORE EFFICIENT AND WHAT MAY, MAY BE BETTER BECAUSE THEN YOU'VE ALREADY HAD TWO OTHER RUNS GO BEFORE YOU FIGURED ALL THAT OUT AND WHAT WAS EFFICIENT A YEAR AGO DOESN'T EVEN MATTER NOW.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY A, UH, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE GET CAUGHT UP, MAYBE WE CAN DO SOME OF THIS NAVEL GAZING, BUT RIGHT.
UNTIL WE GET, UNTIL WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE'RE CAUGHT UP, WE, WE HAVE TO MODIFY THINGS.
YEAH, WE, WE WILL HIT RPGA LITTLE BIT LATER ON IN THAT PRESENTATION.
UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME ALL RIGHT? YES.
AND COMPANY AND GO AHEAD WITH YOUR QUESTION.
JASON COX WITH EQ ENERGY ADVISORS, A COUPLE OF TRANSPARENCY QUESTIONS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WILL THE CASE STUDIES BE MADE AVAILABLE TO MARKET PARTICIPANTS AND POTENTIALLY NEEDING ECII OR, AND THEN, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE STUDY, WILL THE LIST OF OF LOADS EVER BE MADE PUBLIC OR WILL BE PUBLIC AT ANY POINT IN THE PROCESS AFTER INCLUDED? SO JUST LOOKING FOR SOME TRANSPARENCY ANSWERS HERE.
YEAH, SO I, I, UM, WHAT WE HAVE CONTEMPLATED RIGHT NOW IS THAT THE STUDY CASES AND THE LIST OF LOADS THAT ONLY TSPS WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THAT BECAUSE THE, THE CUSTOMER INFORMATION IS PROTECTED CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION UNDER THE PROTOCOLS.
UH, BLAKE, DO YOU WANT TO ASK YOUR QUESTION OR SHALL I READ IT? NO, THANKS FOR TYPING IT IN.
BLAKE KING FROM GALAXY POWER, I, I PUT MY QUESTIONS IN THE CHAT, BUT THEY'RE LONG, BUT HOPEFULLY THE ANSWERS ARE SHORT.
UM, SO DURING THE DECISION PERIOD, IF A PARTICIPANT DROPS OUT ARE SECURITY REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE ALLOCATED GOING TO BE BORN BY THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS AND THEN REALLOCATED OR THEN I'VE GOT SOME FOLLOW UPS THAT KIND OF STEM FROM THAT.
BUT MAYBE IF YOU JUST BRIEFLY TALK TO ME ABOUT HOW YOU'RE HANDLING THAT, IT MIGHT ANSWER THE FOLLOW UPS.
UH, SO YEAH, THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO, WE'RE NOT CONTEMPLATING GOING BACK AND REASSIGNING
[01:25:01]
SECURITY REQUIREMENTS.UM, THEN IS THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE INITIAL SECURITY REQUIREMENT BE NON-REFUNDABLE AND BE LIKE COMMENSURATE WITH THE REQUIRED UPGRADE COSTS? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YES.
THE, THE, UH, THE CALLED THE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT CORRECT REQUIREMENTS? YEAH, SO I, UM, I THINK THAT WE WOULD LET 58 41, UH, THE, THE PC DEFINE THAT.
UM, MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT, UH, ACTUALLY I, I SHOULDN'T SAY I DON'T RECALL FOR SURE.
SO, BUT I, I I THINK THAT THE, UM, WE, WE WOULD FOLLOW WHATEVER THE 58 41 RULE IS ON THAT.
SO, SO GENERALLY IF YOU'RE IN THE QUEUE, YOU POST THE SECURITY, SECURITY REQUIREMENTS ARE UPGRADED OR IDENTIFIED DURING THE PROCESS, YOUR NUMBERS AREN'T GONNA CHANGE IF OTHER PARTICIPANTS IN THE BATCH DROPOUT? CORRECT.
ALRIGHT, NEXT IS EVAN NEIL E NEW WITH LANIO.
UM, I HAVE A QUICK COMMENT AND THEN A QUESTION AFTERWARDS.
AND SO FOR THE COMMENT, I KIND OF WANTED TO GO BACK TO WHAT BILL BARNES HAD SAID ABOUT THE RTP 'CAUSE I THINK THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD POINT.
AND I KNOW MATT, YOU HAD YOUR POINT ABOUT THAT AS WELL, BUT YOU KNOW, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, YOU KNOW, THE RTP ISS A LITTLE OVERKILL FOR WHAT THE BATCH IS MEANT TO BE, BUT IT DOES SOUND A LOT LIKE AN RRP G STUDY, RIGHT? I MEAN, IF WE'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING IN BATCH, BUT ONLY FOR THE FACT TWO REQUIREMENTS IN THE SCOPE OF THE UPGRADES, AND THEN WE'RE EVEN SAYING THAT THOSE WILL ACT AS THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW FOR WHEN THE UPGRADES ARE SUBMITTED.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING MAYBE LIKE RTP WASN'T THE RIGHT WAY TO FRAME IT, BUT MAYBE THAT THE WHOLE BATCH IS JUST AN RRP G SUBMISSION MIGHT BE, AND I THINK THAT THAT MAYBE HELPS WITH SOME TIMELINE STUFF HERE AS WELL.
SO I JUST WANNA THROW THAT OUT THERE AS A THOUGHT.
UM, AND THEN THE QUESTION I HAD IS I WAS JUST WONDERING IF WE COULD TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE NET PEAK LOAD CASES THAT WERE CONSIDERED BEING STUDIED.
AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THESE CASES HAVE BEEN USED TO STUDY LARGE LOADS BEFORE.
IS THAT RIGHT? I'M GONNA POINT TO AG ON THIS IN YEAH, NOT, NOT, THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, THAT'S NOT BEEN, UH, CASE THAT'S BEEN UTILIZED.
SO, SO WE ARE THEN CONSIDERING NEW CASES THAT HAVE TO BE CREATED, AND WE WOULD ASSUME THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE GONNA BE CAUGHT BY RE STUDIES AND THIS WHOLE PROCESS COULD EXPECT DIFFERENT OUTCOMES BASED ON A, A POTENTIALLY MORE STRINGENT BASED CASE ASSUMPTION THAT THEY'RE BEING STUDIED IN.
UM, THE, YOUR OBSERVATION THAT NEW CASES WOULD BE NEEDED IS CORRECT.
UM, I DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE ON INDIVIDUAL OUTCOMES FROM THAT.
UM, I WOULD JUST PUT THE OPEN QUESTION OUT THERE, WHAT STUDYING NEW CASES AND CREATING NEW CASES MEANS FOR THE TIMELINE OF THIS IF WE'RE CONSIDERATE ABOUT DOING THINGS REALLY QUICKLY.
AND THEN I WOULD ALSO JUST ASK, UM, UNDERSTANDING THE NUANCE THAT TYPICALLY IN THESE CASES, BATTERIES AREN'T CONSIDERED TO BE DISCHARGING AT ALL.
I MEAN, THE, THE NET PEAK CASE, I MEAN IN, IN REAL TIME WE SEE IT, THAT'S BATTERIES TIMES TO SHINE.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF, IF ERCOT CONSIDERING THE IMPACT OF BATTERIES ON THOSE CASES.
SO I THINK SHORT ANSWER IS YES.
YEAH, WE, WE ARE LOOKING AT THAT, THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY HAVE SOME DIFFERENT ASSUMPTIONS FOR BATTERY OUT, BUT DURING THAT TIME, YEAH.
AND, AND, AND I, YOU KNOW, I, UM, YOU, YOU POINT OUT A GOOD THING THAT I I WENT OVER REALLY QUICKLY, EVAN, IS THAT YEAH, WE HAVEN'T, UH, I THINK WE'VE RUN SOME SINCE.
IF YOU'VE FOLLOWED LIKE RTP AND RPG STUDIES, WE'VE RUN SENSITIVITIES USING THAT NO SOLAR CASE, BUT MORE AND MORE, AND YOU KNOW, PART PART OF THIS IS MY LAST FIVE YEARS I'VE SPENT IN OPERATIONS AND WE SEE MORE AND MORE THE, THE, THE CRITICAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE SYSTEM ARE AT SUNSET WHEN, WHEN THAT SOLAR GENER GENERATION GOES AWAY, IF, IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT THAT FAR WEST ROL UH, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT HAPPENS AT SUNSET.
AND SO IF THAT IS DRIVING THE CONSTRAINTS ON THE SYSTEM FROM AN OPERATIONS PERSPECTIVE, WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE STUDYING THAT, THAT CONDITION IN THIS PROCESS.
AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'M, I'M GLAD YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING AT THAT 'CAUSE WE ARE TOTALLY ALIGNED THERE.
UM, AND SO THEN JUST REAL FAST, DOES THAT MEAN WE'RE ALSO CONSIDERING PLANNING TRANSMISSION FOR THOSE CONSTRAINTS AS WELL? YES.
AND THAT'S JUST KIND OF A PARADIGM SHIFT.
AND THANK YOU FOR PEOPLE REMOVING THEMSELVES FROM THE QUEUE.
GO AHEAD LUKE, I WANTED TO ASK IF THE BATCH ZERO IS GOING TO BE ONLY RESTUDIES OR IF NEW LOADS WILL BE IN THERE.
WE'RE GONNA HOLD YOUR QUESTION FOR THE ZERO BATCH DISCUSSION LATER ON TODAY.
THEN ONE MORE QUESTION ON SLIDE 13.
CAN WE GO TO THAT FOR ONE SECOND PLEASE?
[01:30:03]
THIS LAST ROUTE SAYS DEADLINE AUGUST 13TH.IS THIS SAYING THAT AUGUST 13TH OF, OF 25 WAS THE TIMELINE, WAS THE DEADLINE TO BE IN TIMELINE ONE OR IS THIS SAYING AUGUST 30 OF 31ST OF 2026 IS THE DEADLINE TO BE IN TIMELINE TWO.
AND, AND THEN SAME THING FOR TIMELINE TWO, YOU KNOW, FEBRUARY 28TH, IS THAT OF 2026 OR 2027? YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
LET, LET ME, UM, YEAH, LET ME CLARIFY THAT.
SO THIS IS THE ONGOING BATCH STUDY TIMELINE.
UH, SO IT'S, UH, THIS HOPEFULLY STARTS IN 2027.
SO IF, IF YOU ARE IN, UM, UH, IF, IF, IF YOU ARE IN THE, THE, UH, LET'S SAY 2028, YOU'RE, YOU'RE IN THE FIRST BATCH OF THE YEAR AND YOU WANT TO, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THAT STUDY AND YOU WANT TO BE, UM, UH, COMMITTED AND AND FIRM FOR THE NEXT BATCH SO THAT YOUR, YOUR MEGAWATTS DON'T GET ALLOCATED SOMEWHERE ELSE, THEN BY AUGUST 31ST, 2028, YOU, YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT SO THAT IN THAT SECOND BATCH STUDY THAT STARTS IN 2028, THAT, THAT YOUR LOAD IS FIRM.
UH, SO YOU GET THE RESULTS JULY 31ST AND THEN YOU HAVE ONE MONTH TO MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT.
WES WHITE, CENTER POINT ENERGY.
JEFF, UM, I'VE GOT TWO QUESTIONS ON SLIDE NINE.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS THAT YOU, THE SLIDE DURING THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS KINDA SHOWS THIS DOTTED LINE THAT SAYS PASSIVE WAITING ROLE FOR THE TSP ON SLIDE 10 YOU DESCRIBED CORRECTLY THAT THERE'S A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH ACTUALLY.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BACK AND FORTH WITH US TO DETERMINE FEASIBILITY THINGS LIKE THAT IS ACTUALLY OCCURRING DURING THAT TIME PERIOD AND NOT SOMETHING LATER.
RIGHT? Y YEAH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT, WES.
SO THIS IS AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OKAY.
BUT YEAH, A ABSOLUTELY THAT, THAT'S THE INTENTION IS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH THE TSB DURING THAT TIME PERIOD, DURING THIS STUDY PERIOD.
JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT SECOND QUESTION.
UM, OF COURSE YOU, YOU EXPECT TO HAVE THE TSPS TO DO THE SHORT CIRCUIT STUDIES.
UM, AND I THINK I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT.
WHERE DOES THAT FIT IN HERE? UM, AND THE TIMING, BUT BECAUSE I MEAN, I'M SURE YOU CAN APPRECIATE SHORT CIRCUIT AND, AND STEADY STATE KIND OF GO HAND IN HAND A BIT MM-HMM
AND CAN DIRECT, UM, A TRANSMISSION UPGRADE.
UM, AND SO IT, WELL, WHERE, WHERE DO YOU SEE THAT HITTING IN, IN THE PROCESS? YEAH, YEAH, IT'S, YEAH.
UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT, UM, I I THINK THAT'S TBD, UH, AND, AND ACTUALLY I WOULD LOOK FOR YOUR FEEDBACK ON THAT IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT MAKES SENSE FOR WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE PERFORMING THAT, THAT SHORT CIRCUIT STUDY, UH, I THINK SIMILAR, UH, QUESTION ABOUT FACILITY STUDY.
WHEN, WHEN ARE YOU PERFORMING THAT, THAT FACILITY STUDY AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN DO YOU THINK THAT BEST FITS IN THIS TIMELINE? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
SORRY, I, I DID, YOU KNOW, I, I ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION WITH THE QUESTION, I APOLOGIZE, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE THINKING IS WE, WE NEED TSPS HELP WITH THAT PART O OKAY.
I, AND I DON'T HAVE A GOOD ANSWER FOR YOU.
I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT CAREFULLY.
I I THINK WE WOULD ALL LIKE IT TO HAPPEN EARLY, AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
SO WE HAVE AS LITTLE CHANGES IN THE RPG PROCESS.
BUT I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'VE GOT THIS TIMING THAT THAT ADDS TIME.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TIME TO ADD DURING THE BATCH PROCESS.
AND, AND, AND I'M SORRY FOR BELABORING IT, BUT YEAH, I, I THINK IT IS IF THAT, UH, IF, IF THE RESULTS OF THOSE STUDIES, IF THEY IMPACT THE MEGAWATT ALLOCATION OR THE FINANCIAL SECURITY THAT WOULD NEED TO BE PUT UP WHEN YOU, IF YOU NEED TO DO THAT BEFORE YOU SIGN THAT INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, HAVE THE FINANCIAL SECURITY, THEN I, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S GOTTA BE BEFORE THE END OF THAT BATCH STUDY.
UH, JOHN RUSS HUBBARD, GO AHEAD.
UM, IN TERMS OF ERCOT, UH, SCOPE AND PROCESS, HOW IS ERCOT FACTORING IN THE DEMAND AND ENERGY NEEDS OF LOADS LOWER THAN 75 MEGAWATTS? UH, WE'RE GONNA GET TO THAT LATER, JOHN.
UM, HOW ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE PART OF THE OFFICER ATTEST STATION PROCESS BEING TREATED? UM, I, I THINK WE'RE GONNA ALSO GET TO THAT AS PART OF THAT BATCH BATCH ZERO DISCUSSION.
UM, I'M ANGELA CHEN FROM SATOSHI ENERGY.
UM, MY QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO THIS SLIDE AS WELL.
HOW DOES THE CURRENT PROCESS ACCOUNT
[01:35:01]
FOR PROJECTS THAT DO NOT HAVE ANY TRANSMISSION UPGRADES? UM, IS IT JUST THAT ONCE LOADS RECEIVE THESE BATCH STUDY RESULTS THAT, UM, THEY CONFIRM THE ALLOCATION AND GO DIRECTLY THROUGH THAT QSA PROCESS? UH, YEAH.YOU, YOU WOULD, UM, YEAH, TH THIS, THE WAY THAT WE LAID THIS OUT IS, IS ASSUMING THERE'S AN RPG PRO PROJECT, BUT THERE, THERE MAY NOT BE.
THERE COULD BE LOADS THAT DON'T NEED ANY ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION UPGRADES.
AND, AND YEAH, THEY CAN JUST GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE WHATEVER OTHER STEPS THERE ARE IN THE PROCESS AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING THE PROJECT AND, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
BUT THEN YEAH, THEY, THEIR, THEIR NEXT TOUCH POINT AT ERCOT IS THE QSA.
ALRIGHT, NEXT UP IS SHANNON CARAWAY.
I GOT THREE QUICK COMMENTS AND ONE QUESTION ON SLIDE 10 UP THE TOP ON THE SELECT IN MINUS ONE, MINUS ONE, MY COMMENT WOULD BE JUST PLEASE HARMONIZE WHAT YOU DO HERE WITH THE PLANNING PLANNING CRITERIA SO THAT YOU'RE NOT CONSTRAINING ON SOMETHING THAT TSPS CAN'T BILL FOR.
NEXT, UH, COMMENT AND PROBABLY FITS ON THIS SLIDE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING YOU SAID WHILE AGO ON THE CONFIDENTIALITY PIECE.
I WANTED TO CALL ERCOT ATTENTION TO THE NOTAL CALL, UH, NODAL PROTOCOL 1.3 0.1 0.2 A, UH, DATA COMPRISING LOAD FLOW CASES, WHICH MAY INCLUDE ESTIMATED PEAK AND OFF PEAK DEMAND OF ANY LOAD ARE NOT CONFIDENTIAL.
AND THAT WAS EMBEDDED IN, UH, P ONE 15.
Y'ALL HAVE GOT THAT IN THE PLANNING GUIDES.
YOU HAVEN'T HISTORICALLY FOLLOWED THAT VERY WELL, BUT THIS HAS BEEN HERE FOR 20 PLUS YEARS.
UM, UNDER THE STABILITY, SECOND SUB-BULLET WHERE YOU TALK ABOUT MAY YIELD FALSE POSITIVE LIMITATIONS TO THE DEGREE THAT IN THE BATCH ZERO WE ALREADY HAVE A CURRENT LLIS STABILITY STUDY, FULL STUDY COMPLETE.
WOULD YOU JUST BE SURE AND PLEASE DON'T CONSTRAIN ON YOUR SIMPLIFIED WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE A FULL STUDY COMPLETE.
AND THEN MY, I UNDERSTAND QUESTION ON 12 IS ON THE, UM, THE LAST ITEM, TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, UH, PROJECT IDENTIFICATION.
THE WAY I'M UNDERSTANDING WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, I THINK RE CONDUCTOR REBUILDS OF EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY ARE INCLUDED.
IS THAT HOW Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT? OR IS YES.
AM I SAYING THAT RIGHT? HI, THANKS.
UH, I HAD TWO TO THREE QUESTIONS.
UH, I AM DURGA, I REPRESENT SOFTBANK ENERGY.
FIRST ONE, I, I THINK THE BATTERY ASSUMPTIONS WERE ANSWERED ALREADY, BUT THERE'S AROUND ONE 60 TO ONE 70 GIGAWATT OF BATTERY IN THE QUEUE AND THE ITC STILL ALIVE FOR BATTERIES, RIGHT? SO IS OUR COURT THINKING OF ADDING MORE FINANCIAL RESTRICTIONS APART FROM SIX AND 6.9 FINANCIAL COMMITMENT TO REMOVE ALL THE SPECULATIVE BATTERIES BECAUSE THOSE GO INTO ASSUMPTIONS AND ALL THE UPGRADES ARE BASED OUT OF THAT, RIGHT? SO, YEAH.
UM, SO I, I'LL SAY WE, WE'VE GOT A SLIDE ON THAT LATER.
UM, SECOND IS THE GTCS, RIGHT? SO THE GTCS GET MODELED IN THE STUDIES, BUT SOME OF THE GTCS DON'T HAVE EXIT STRATEGIES IN PLACE.
SO ONCE THEY ARE MODELED AND THE EXIT STRATEGY COMES LATER, HOW WOULD THAT WORK OUT IN THE, FOR THE BRIEF THAT CAME OUT OF THE STUDY? YEAH, FRED, DO YOU WANNA TAKE THAT ONE? THIS IS FRED HONG FROM AMERICA.
I THINK FROM THE PAGE PERSPECTIVE, UM, I THINK, UH, THE GTC IS NOT GOING TO BE THE FOCUS FOR THE PAGE.
IT'S TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE SERVING CAPABILITY.
UH, WE ARE GOING TO IDENTIFY ALL THE GTC IMPACT WITH ALL THE LATEST, GREATEST INFORMATION WE HAVE BEFORE THEY CONNECT TO THE GRID.
BUT THE LOAD, UH, ALLOCATION IS BASED ON GTCS MODEL IN THERE.
SO WHAT ABOUT THAT? WE'LL TAKE COMMENTS BACK AND PROBABLY, UH, THINK OF BIT, A LITTLE BIT DETAILS.
SO IS THERE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN CONTINGENT FACILITY AND NON-CON CONTINGENT FACILITY UPGRADES FOR EACH LOAD? THESE ARE, UM, I MEAN IN W AND PJ M AND ALL, UH, ISOS, THEY HAVE CONTINGENT FACILITY AND NON-CONTINGENT FACILITIES.
AND WOULD THE COST LOCATION, UM, BE RATE BASED FOR BOTH CONTINGENT AND NON-CON CONTINGENT FACILITIES THAT CAME OUT OF THE STUDY? UM, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT TERM, BUT, UM, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION RIGHT,
[01:40:01]
IT'S MAYBE SOME, SOME FACILITIES THAT COME OUTTA THE STUDY.YOU, YOU SAY THAT THIS, THIS FACILITY UPGRADE IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THIS LARGE LOAD CONNECTING.
I THINK THEREFORE ENGINE, THIS LOAD HAS TO SECURITIZE THAT, BUT UH, BUT MAYBE SOME OTHER UPGRADES COME OUT THAT ARE AREN'T ASSOCIATED OR MAYBE NOT DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOAD.
AND SO THAT LOAD DOESN'T HAVE TO SECURITIZE THAT.
IS THAT, AM I UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION? THE CONT TWO DIFFERENT PROJECTS CAN HAVE SAME CONTINGENT FACILITY.
UM, CONTINGENT FACILITY BY DEFINITION IS IF THAT FACILITY DOESN'T COME IN PLACE, THE LOAD OF THE CHAIN CANNOT, UH, IN SERVICE.
UH, SO IS THERE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN A CONTINGENT FACILITY AND A NON-CON CONTINGENT FACILITY UPGRADE THAT COMES OUT OF THE STUDY? AND WOULD THE PAYMENT FOR THAT AND THE, AND THE WAY IT'S FUNDED WOULD BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY FOR THE LOAD? YEAH, SO ON, ON THE FIRST PART, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA MAKE THAT DISTINCTION IN, IN THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND THEN I THINK TO THE SECOND PART, UM, I, I THINK THAT THAT IS, UH, PART OF THE 58 41 RULE THAT THE COMMISSION IS WORKING ON.
SO, SO I, I WOULD LOOK TO, I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW WHATEVER THAT RULE SAYS.
AND, AND MATT, CAN I DO JUST A QUICK TIME CHECK? SO YEAH, I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TRY THIS.
SO, UH, I'M GONNA PICK ON LUKE HANSON.
HE ASKED A QUESTION, HE'S BACK IN THE QUEUE.
THAT ACTUALLY WOULD BE, WE'VE GONE 30 MINUTES, WE'VE MADE IT ALMOST HALFWAY THROUGH THE QUEUE, BUT THE QUEUE KEEPS GROWING.
SO I'M GONNA CUT OFF ON THE SECOND LUKE QUESTION AHEAD OF HIM.
UM, I THINK THAT'LL GET US, LET'S GET THAT 30 MORE MINUTES AND I'D LIKE TO GET BATCH ZERO SLIDES OUT INTO THE, OUT INTO PLAY.
AND THEN WE TAKE THE LUNCH BREAK.
SO WE'RE GONNA GO 30 MORE MINUTES AS BEST WE CAN TO SEE IF WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE NEXT SWAG.
DOES THAT WORK FOR YOU? YOU NEED TO STRETCH OR BREATHE? I'M, I'M FINE, BUT YOU JUST, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET DONE BY FOUR 30? YES, YES.
SHILPI, ARE YOU ONLINE OR IN THE ROOM? I, THAT'S OKAY.
WE'RE NOT HEARING YOU IF YOU ARE.
OKAY, I'LL COME BACK TO YOU IN A SECOND.
UH, GREG BLUE, UH, UH, GREG BLUE AT NIGHT PEAK ENERGY, UH, CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION THAT WAS REFERRED TO IN ONE OF THE EARLIER SLIDES? SO LET ME, WE'RE GONNA KIND OF SIDESTEP THAT ONE.
THAT'S A MUCH LARGER PROCEDURAL QUESTION, WHICH IS WHETHER OR NOT AT THE PUC RATHER THAN RULES IS GRANTING A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION WHILE RULES ARE DEVELOPED TYPE DISCUSSION.
SO WE'RE GONNA KIND OF, SO IT'S NOT FOR THE BATCH PROCESS ITSELF, IT'S HOW TO IMPLEMENT THE BATCH PROCESS.
SO WE'RE GONNA DEFER THAT OUT OF THIS FRAMEWORK MEETING IF WE CAN FOR NOW.
ARE YOU BACK YET? ALRIGHT, SO COVER SHILPI AND GREG, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HIT MARTHA HENSON.
UM, MARTHA HENSON FROM ENCORE.
THIS IS A QUESTION ON SLIDE 11.
UM, SO ENCORE HAS A CONCERN ABOUT THE OVER-RELIANCE ON REBUILDS AND OTHER BROWNFIELD PROJECTS IN THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
THERE KIND OF SEEMS TO BE AN ASSUMPTION THAT THESE TYPES OF PROJECTS ARE EASIER.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE BATCH STUDY IDENTIFYING ONLY BROWNFIELD PROJECTS LIKE REBUILDS, UM, IS THAT THESE PROJECTS CAN ACTUALLY BE MUCH HARDER FOR US TO CONSTRUCT AS TSPS.
UM, WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY CONVINCED THAT WE CAN BUILD MUCH MORE BROWNFIELD RIGHT NOW GIVEN THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE WITH OBTAINING THE NECESSARY OUTAGES TO TAKE FACILITIES OUT OF SERVICE.
UM, WITH THAT SAID, CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE THINKING AROUND THE NO GREENFIELD PROJECTS BEING IDENTIFIED AND IS THAT LIKE MOSTLY A FUNCTION OF THE SIX MONTH TIMELINE CONSTRAINT AND ALSO UNDER THIS CONSTRUCT, HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT BATCH IDENTIFIED PROJECTS ARE BEING OPTIMIZED AGAINST GREENFIELD ALTERNATIVES? YEAH, YEAH.
UM, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD CLARIFICATION, MARTHA.
UH, SO THE WAY THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS IS NOT THAT IT, THAT THIS WOULD RESULT IN, UH, PREFERENCE TO A, UM, A, A BROWNFIELD PROJECT TO REBUILD AS OPPOSED TO A NEW RIGHT OF WAY PROJECT.
UH, I, I CAN TELL YOU AGAIN, FROM, UH, JUST HAVING COME OUT OF OPERATIONS, UH, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, SEE THAT CHALLENGE THAT IT'S, IT'S HARD TO GET THE UPGRADES BECAUSE IF EVERY, IF EVERY TRANSMISSION LINE IN THE AREA IS BEING UPGRADED AT THE SAME TIME, YOU, THAT'S NOT REALISTIC.
YOU CAN'T GET THE OUTAGES FOR THAT.
UH, AND SO I THINK WE RECOGNIZE THAT AND, AND, UM, YEAH, AND, AND WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE RESPECTING THAT AS PART OF THIS PROCESS.
UH, SO THE, THE INTENTION HERE IS NOT TO SAY THAT,
[01:45:01]
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE GIVING A PREFERENCE TO IT.WE WE'RE JUST GONNA REBUILD EVERYTHING BECAUSE THAT'S ALL WE CAN DO.
IT IS SOMEWHAT A FUNCTION OF THE, UH, THE, THE SIX MONTH TIME PERIOD.
UH, BUT, BUT IT'S ALSO A RECOGNITION THAT AS WE GET INTO THESE, UH, SITUATIONS WHERE IF EVERY LINE AND AREA IS OVERLOADED, THE RIGHT SOLUTION IS PROBABLY NOT TO JUST REBUILD ALL OF THOSE LINES.
THE RIGHT SOLUTION MAY, MAY BE A NEW TRANSMISSION LINE, BUT WE THINK THAT THAT ANALYSIS FITS BETTER EITHER IN THE REGIONAL TRANSMISSION PLAN OR IN A SEPARATE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP.
UH, AN ANALYSIS, UH, WHERE MAYBE IT'S TSP OR A GROUP OF TSPS WOULD LOOK AT THAT ISSUE AND STUDY THAT, UH, AND, AND TRY TO COME UP WITH, WITH A SOLUTION THAT IS THE, THE BEST LONG-TERM SOLUTION FOR AN AREA.
UM, SO I, I THINK THAT WE WOULD LOOK AT THE, WE WOULD LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AS WHAT, WHAT DO WE THINK FROM A A TRANSMISSION PLANNING PERSPECTIVE? WHAT, WHAT DO WE THINK IS THE BEST SOLUTION FOR THIS AREA? AND IF, AND IF IT IS, IF, IF IT'S A NEW RIGHT OF WAY KIND OF A PROJECT, AND WE CAN'T, WE, WE, WE DON'T THINK THAT WE CAN SERVE THE LOAD SOONER BECAUSE WE CAN'T JUST REBUILD ALL THE TRANSMISSION LINES IN AN AREA, THEN I THINK THAT'S THE ANSWER THAT COMES OUT OF THE, THE BATCH STUDY.
SO EVEN THOUGH ON PAPER IT MAY, YOU MAY SAY, OH, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST, IT'S OVERLOADED.
LIKE, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT ALWAYS REALITY.
UH, AND SO WE HAVE TO TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS PART OF THIS STUDY PROCESS IT, AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE NEED TO, UH, ERCOT DOESN'T VIEW THIS AS WE'RE GOING OFF AND DOING THIS IN A VACUUM.
WE, UH, WE, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THAT INTERACTION WITH TSPS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S FEASIBLE.
CHRIS MATTIS AND THEN CESAR'S NEXT.
UH, FIRST JEFF, THANK YOU FOR THIS AND TAKING THE TIME AND PUTTING OUT THERE.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS AND, AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THOUGHT PUT INTO THIS.
UM, I THINK MY QUESTIONS WILL RELATE TO SORT OF, UH, THE RPG PROCESS VERSUS RTP PROCESS IN GENERAL.
I, I DO THINK THAT THE BATCH STUDIES ARE REPRESENTING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TRANSMISSION BUILD, AND IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THE SORT OF TIME COMMITMENTS ON THAT RPG PROCESS THROUGH YOUR SITES IN THIS PRESENTATION THAT CAN REALIZE THOSE PROJECTS.
SO AS AN EXAMPLE, RIGHT, WE, WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT SOUTH DALLAS, THAT PRO, THAT PARTICULAR RPG PROJECT'S BEEN THERE FOR A YEAR.
THE ENERGIZATION OF THAT LOAD IS REALLY CONTINGENT ON THOSE PROJECTS.
AND SO I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW WE WILL HAVE THESE FIRM ENERGIZATION DATES MM-HMM
WITH AN UNCLEAR SET OF RPG PROJECTS THAT ARET APPROVED AND, AND, AND THE RISKS THAT GO IN WITH THAT LONG LEAD TIME SO COULD YOU DELVE INTO THAT A LITTLE BIT? OR IS THAT LATER IN LINE? YEAH, YEAH.
SO WE, WE, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE CAN'T HAVE THAT.
UM, I'M GOING TO HOLD THAT UNTIL WE GET TO, UH, I THINK WE, WE'VE GOT A COUPLE SLIDES TALKING ABOUT THAT LATER ON IN THE PRESENTATION.
AND THEN I THINK JUST AS THE CAVEAT, WE REALLY SHOULD THINK ABOUT REEVALUATING WHERE WE CAN GET RPG IN WITH THIS BATCHING PROCESS AND AT LEAST GET THE PROJECTS LISTED AND DONE.
AND THEN ROLL THAT UP INTO THE BROADER RTP AFTERWARD AS PART OF JUST LIKE A CONSOLIDATED SORT OF PLANNING PROCESS WITH THIS LOAD AND THE PROJECTS, AND THEN THE BROADER RTP SYSTEM PLAN AT THE END.
UM, I'M FROM, UH, ORIGIN ENERGY AND, UH, HAVE SOME POOR QUESTIONS.
MAYBE I CAN FOCUS THIS ALL IN OUR COMMUNICATION RIGHT NOW.
SO ONE IS THE, UH, UH, ABOUT THE MECHANISM THAT AIRCRAFT CONSIDERING TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE SPECULATING LARGE SLOWS.
DO NOT SLOW DOWN THE BATCH PROCESS, THE PROJECT MATURITY CRITERIA, DEPOSITS OR READINESS MILESTONE.
WE'RE HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING YOU.
IF YOU COULD LEAN INTO THE MICROPHONE AND SPEAK AWKWARDLY LOUD, THAT WOULD HELP US IN THE ROOM.
UM, LET ME SEE IF IT'S ALREADY, THAT'S GETTING BETTER.
SO MY QUESTION, I HAVE TO REPEAT MY QUESTIONS.
SO WHAT MECHANISM IS AIR CODE CONSIDERING ENSURE THAT SPECULATIVE LARGE LOADS DO NOT SLOW DOWN THE BATCH PROCESS AS THE, UH, PROJECT MACHU MATURITY CRITERIA DEPOSITS OR READINESS MILESTONES.
[01:50:05]
AND SO, YEAH.SO IF I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION RIGHT, IT'S, IT'S WHAT WHAT IS THE, UM, TO, TO, UH, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THESE DEPOSITS REQUIRE? WHAT, WHAT'S THAT MATURITY? AND I, I I THINK IT'S, UH, THERE'S, I THINK TWO, TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF MATURITY AND, AND, AND, UM, DEPOSIT THAT IS REQUIRED.
I, I WOULD REFER YOU TO THE 58 41, UH, DRAFT RULE THAT COMMISSION STAFF PUT OUT, UH, WHERE THERE IS THIS, UH, CONCEPT OF AN INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT, UH, WHICH WE THINK IS AN, AN APPROPRIATE GATE TO GET INTO A BATCH STUDY.
AND THEN THE, UM, THAT, UH, THERE'S THIS, UH, IDEA OF A INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, UH, AND, AND THERE AND CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT, WHICH WOULD BE AT THE END OF THE BATCH STUDY IF THE, UM, THE, THE LOAD WOULD NEED TO MEET THAT COMMITMENT REQUIREMENT IN ORDER FOR US TO CONSIDER THAT LOAD FIRM FOR SUBSEQUENT BATCHES AND, AND ANY OTHER TRANSMISSION PLANNING STUDIES AS WELL.
SO, ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT THE
UM, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THE CONNECTION WAS BAD.
TRY ONE MORE TIME AND THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MOVE ON TO OTHER QUESTIONS.
SO IF YOU SECOND QUESTION AND THEN WE'LL MOVE ON.
THIS IS THE SECOND QUESTION ACTUALLY.
SO WHAT'S YOUR SECRET AND, UH, VOLTAGE STABILITY THRESHOLDS ARE MOST PRO FREQUENTLY BINDING FOR LARGE LOW INTERCONNECTION REQUESTS IN THE BATCH PROCESS? SO I THINK THE QUESTION IS, WHAT, WHAT IS MOST FREQUENTLY BINDING FROM A STABILITY PERSPECTIVE TODAY? UH, WE DON'T KNOW THE BATCH STUDY 'CAUSE WE HAVEN'T RUN ONE YET, BUT I THINK IN TODAY'S PROCESS, UH, I WOULD SAY WE, WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF, OF STABILITY CONSTRAINTS AS BEING BINDING, BUT WE DO, I THINK THERE ARE SOME PROJECTS WHERE WE HAVE SEEN THAT.
UM, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF FRED OR, OR JULIE IF YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT THE, OR, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT MOST FREQUENTLY BINDING? IS IT VOLTAGE STABILITY? I, I, I DON'T KNOW OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD THIS FREIGHT ONE FROM AMERICA.
I, I THINK, UM, AS OF NOW, I WOULD SAY THE, THE, SOME OF THEM ARE MORE LIKE VOLTAGE DRIVEN.
UM, BUT I THINK FROM THE SCREENING PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE ARE GONNA HAVE A CRITERIA TO, UH, BE ABLE TO SCREEN OUT OR IDENTIFY ALL THE SPEED RELATED, UH, POTENTIAL CONCERNS.
NOT ONLY THE VOLTAGE, BUT ALL THE STABILITY CONCERNS.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN COME OUT AS SCREENING CRITERIA.
WERE YOU ABLE TO REALIZE ALREADY THE SHORT CIRCUIT RATIO AND STABILITY STRENGTH FOR THAT MINIMUM SHORT CIRCUIT RATIO? DO YOU HAVE STUFF THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDER AS POTENTIAL OPTIONS? AND I THINK MAYBE THE NEXT ONE WILL BRING MORE DETAILS ON HOW THE SCREEN, UH, MAY LOOKS LIKE.
AM I TOO CLOSE TO THE MIC? OKAY.
UH, WELL, MATT, JEFF, THANK YOU FOR, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THIS OUT.
THIS IS LOOKING VERY PROMISING.
UM, MY QUESTION IS, UH, SLIDE NUMBER 12.
AND WHAT I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IS, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE BATCH LOAD PROCESS ALLOCATES MEGA WORD, MEGA WORD AFTER THAT, I THINK THE PLAN IS TO DO THE SCREENING STABILITY STUDIES AND THEN FULL STABILITY STUDIES, RIGHT? AND THEN MAYBE EVEN A QSA.
WHAT WOULD THOSE STUDIES THAT IS DONE AFTER THE INITIAL MEGAWATTS ARE ALLOCATED DO TO THE, YOU KNOW, IF THE STABILITY ISSUE IS IDENTIFIED, WHAT WOULD THAT DO TO THE MEGAWATT ALLOCATED? AND ALSO HOW WOULD THE STABILITY ISSUES IDENTIFIED FEED INTO R-T-P-R-P-G PROCESS SO THAT IT GETS ADDRESSED? AND THEN WHETHER OR NOT YOU STILL ARE LIKE SHOWING, OR
YEAH, SO, SO WE HAVE TO SET THAT SCREENING STUDY UP SUCH THAT THE, UH, WHEN WE RUN THE FULL STABILITY ANALYSIS, IT, IT DOESN'T IDENTIFY ANYTHING WORSE.
IT, IT, SO WE, WE, WE CANNOT GO BACK AND RE REDUCE THE ALLOCATED MEGAWATTS ONCE WE RUN THAT FULL STABILITY ANALYSIS.
UH, AND SO THAT, THAT IS HOW WE ARE DESIGNING THAT SCREENING.
SO, SO THAT IT, IT, THE DOWNSIDE TO THAT IS IT MAY GIVE US SOME FALSE POSITIVES, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE FALSE NEGATIVES.
[01:55:01]
AND SO THAT, THAT'S, UH, BUT, BUT WE, WE STILL HAVE TO RUN THAT FROM A, UH, NERC COMPLIANCE PERSPECTIVE.WE STILL NEED TO RUN THAT FULL STABILITY ANALYSIS AND, AND WE INTEND TO DO THAT, BUT, UH, IT WILL BE OUTSIDE OF THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
SO JUST SO THAT I UNDERSTAND, SO THE SCREENING STUDY STABILITY SCREENING STUDIES WILL BE DONE BEFORE THE MEGAWATTS WILL BE ALLOCATED THROUGH BATCH PROCESS? YES.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT IS LIZ MEYERS.
UM, TWO COMMENTS AND THEN A QUICK QUESTION.
SO RELATED TO THE ONE MONTH COMMITMENT POST STUDY FOR LO LOAD COMMITMENTS, APPRECIATE THE NEED FOR THAT.
I THINK THAT HAVING SOME SORT OF TIMELINE'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THIS MOVING FORWARD.
BUT ONE THING I'D LIKE HER CAUGHT TO CONSIDER IS THAT IF LOADS ARE BEING ASKED TO MAKE FIRM FINANCIAL COMMITMENTS ON THIS NARROW TIMEFRAME, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT THE CAPITAL HAS AWARENESS AND THAT ERCOT IS ALSO HELD TO A TIMELINE ON THE PROCESS.
UM, OR AT THE VERY LEAST SOME SORT OF MECHANISM FOR A CONSISTENT UPDATES TO ENSURE HOW THINGS ARE PROGRESSING.
UM, AND IF THEY ARE DELAYED, THERE'S CLEAR NOTIFICATIONS TO, TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR THOSE PROJECTS.
UM, AND THEN I DID HAVE A COMMENT ON SLIDE NINE.
UM, THERE IS THIS CONSIDERATION FOR OPTIONAL INITIAL SCREENING STUDIES AT THE TSP.
I THINK IT'D BE IMPORTANT THAT TO HAVE THE WHOLE MARKET BENEFIT FROM CONSISTENCY ON THE TSP PROCESS.
AND I WORRY THAT HAVING AN OPTIONAL ANYTHING, UM, CHANGES THE POTENTIAL TIMELINES BETWEEN TSPS.
SO MAYBE SOMETHING TO CONSIDER AS YOU GUYS LOOK AT FINALIZING THIS.
AND THEN QUESTION ON SLIDE EIGHT.
UM, AND HAPPY TO TABLE THIS IF IT GETS TOO CONFUSING, BUT IF LOADS IN THE BATCH DO NOT COMMIT AT STEP E, AND THEN THOSE LOADS NOT PROCEEDING ACTUALLY PROVIDE CAPACITY THAT MAY BE ALLOCATED TO OTHER LOADS WITHIN THAT BATCH THAT WERE NOT PROVIDED THEIR FULL ALLOCATION TO HAVE THAT ADDITIONAL CAPACITY, ARE THOSE LOADS GONNA HAVE THE OPTION? SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF I ASKED FOR 200 MEGAWATTS AND I WAS ONLY ALLOCATED A HUNDRED, BUT SOMEBODY DROPPED OUT AND NOW THERE'S AN EXTRA 50, DO I GET THE OPTION TO GET THAT 50? OR DOES THAT ROLL INTO THE NEXT BATCH? THE OPTION IS THROUGH THE NEXT BATCH.
SO, SO YOU, YOU CAN, UM, YEAH, I THINK WE'VE GOT MORE DETAIL ON THIS LATER, BUT YEAH.
BUT ESSENTIALLY IT'S, YEAH, IN THE NEXT BATCH YOU CAN REAPPLY IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO GET ADDITIONAL MEGAWATTS.
NEXT QUESTION, MOHAMED, IF HE ANNOUNCED YOUR COMPANY ALSO.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, JUST A QUICK QUESTION REGARDING THE, THE STABILITY ASSESSMENT.
IS IT BASED ON THE EMT MODEL AND PHASE DOMAIN OR, OR ONLY PHASE DOMAIN? UH, NERC FSC 0 0 2? THERE IS SOME UPDATES ON IT TO INCLUDE EMT MODELS IN THE FUTURE.
UH, THE ASSESSMENT, UH, IS GOING TO FOCUS ON THE PSSE MODEL, THE POSITIVE SEQUENCE DOMAIN AND THE SCREENING.
WE WILL HAVE A CRITERIA TO IDENTIFY THE POTENTIAL AS YOU POINT OUT, BUT I THINK THE FOCUS WILL BE THE PC.
AS WE LOOK AT PAGE NINE AND THE DEVELOPER TIMELINE FOR THE ILLE, IT APPEARS THAT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHEN THE PROJECT CAN COME THROUGH, 'CAUSE WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT EVERYBODY GETS TO GET INTO THE QUEUE OR EVERYBODY GETS, UM, AN ABILITY TO GET INTERCONNECTED IN YEAR SIX BECAUSE ON PAGE 11 YOU SAID ALLOCATE THE FULL REQUEST OF CONSUMPTION FOR THE LARGE LOAD REQUEST FOR YEAR SIX.
ARE YOU ASSUMING THAT THE ILLE HAS THAT SAME 30 DAYS TO ACCEPT THE YEAR SIX OPPORTUNITY? YES.
AND IF THAT LARGE LOAD CHOOSES NOT TO, IS IT UP AND OUT OR IS IT A ROLLOVER TO THE NEXT BATCH? THEY, THEY WOULD HAVE TO INTENTIONALLY REQUEST TO BE IN THE NEXT BATCH.
WE'RE DOWN TO THE LAST SEVEN PEOPLE, JONATHAN RUIZ COMPANY.
AND, GO AHEAD, JONATHAN, DO YOU WANT ME TO READ YOUR QUESTION? UM, I CAN'T USE MY MIC.
SO WHERE DOES THE SHORT CIRCUIT AND DYNAMIC STUDIES TAKE PLACE IN THIS PROCESS? IS THE TSP STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING THESE STUDIES? UH, SO SHORT CIRCUIT IS, UH, TSP IS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR CONDUCTING THAT, UH, DYNAMIC STUDY IS ERCOT IS PERFORMING THAT.
UH, THE, THE DYNAMIC STUDY PIECE IS, UH, AGAIN, THERE'S A SCREENING STUDY THAT, THAT WE WILL PERFORM.
[02:00:01]
OUTSIDE OF THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS, WE WILL PERFORM A FULL STABILITY ANALYSIS, UH, THE SHORT CIRCUIT PIECE.SO GO BACK TO WES' QUESTION EARLIER.
UH, I, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT TBD AS TO WHEN, WHEN THAT FITS IN THE TIMELINE.
HI GUYS, THIS IS, UH, MICHAEL SPANOS WITH ENCORE.
UM, JUST A COUPLE QUICK QUESTIONS.
UM, FIRST QUESTION IS, UM, HAS THERE BEEN ANY THOUGHT ABOUT MESHING THIS PROCESS WITH THE VOLTAGE RIDE THROUGH, UM, ASSESSMENT FOR LOADS? IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF BE EFFICIENT WITH THE STUDIES THAT ARE BEING DONE.
YEAH, SO I, I THINK, UH, WE, WE ARE, WE ARE THINKING THROUGH THAT, UM, LONG TERM WE, WE DON'T THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE BECAUSE THE, UH, NEW LARGE LOADS COMING IN ARE, ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MEET THE, UH, THE NO G 2 82 REQUIREMENTS.
UH, BUT IN, IN SHORT, SHORT TERM, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO, TO THINK THROUGH THAT AND HOW THAT FITS IN THIS PROCESS.
UH, I, I, I WOULD SAY THAT, THAT THAT'S STILL AN OPEN ITEM IN, IN THE, THE, UH, DISCUSSION, UM, UH, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE.
AND, UH, SECOND QUESTION, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, FROM THE TSP PERSPECTIVE, UM, IT'S A LITTLE BIT SCARY TO THINK ABOUT, UH, THE TIMELINE FOR COMPLETING THESE STABILITY STUDIES.
EVEN IF, UH, EVEN IF YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO NAVIGATE CHOOSING A, A REALLY CONSERVATIVE SCREENING CRITERIA, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF THAT CAN END UP, UM, HOLDING UP THE PROCESS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT MODEL QUALITY TESTING CONTROLS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, IT TAKES TIME TO VALIDATE THE, THE MODEL DATA.
UM, AND IF WE'RE TRYING TO FIT IT INTO THIS TIGHT TIMELINE WHERE WE HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO PERFORM THE STUDY IN THIS WINDOW, AND BECAUSE THERE'S A NEXT WINDOW COMING, UM, IT'S EASY FOR THE STABILITY STUDY TO SLIP.
AND I'M A LITTLE BIT WORRIED ABOUT LOADS MOVING FORWARD IN THE PROCESS, BUT THE STABILITY QUESTIONS KIND OF LINGER AND LINGER AND LINGER AND DON'T GET RESOLVED.
UH, I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE AWARE AND Y'ALL ARE ALREADY NAVIGATING THAT, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS.
I'M JUST TRYING TO RAISE A FLAG AT THAT.
WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE'RE PLANNING THE STABILITY STUDIES FOR THIS PROCESS.
YEAH, AND, AND, UH, I, I APPRECIATE YOU RAISING THAT.
I ACTUALLY HAD PLANNED TO TALK ABOUT THIS LATER, BUT, UH, IT, IT, IT'S APPROPRIATE TO TALK ABOUT IT NOW.
UM, SO AS PART OF THE, UM, GATING CRITERIA TO GET INTO A BATCH STUDY, WE ARE, UH, THINKING THAT WE NEED QUALITY MODEL, QUALITY TESTED STABILITY MODELS, UH, SO THAT, THAT IS GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO GET INTO A BACHELOR PROCESS.
IF YOU, UH, AGAIN, I'LL REFER BACK TO THE 58 4 81, THE DRAFT RULE.
THE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT, UH, BELIEVE REQUIRES A DYNAMIC, UH, STABILITY MODEL.
UH, AND FROM ERCOT PERSPECTIVE, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT YOU HAVE A MODEL THAT, UH, WILL PASS THE MODEL QUALITY TESTS THAT, UH, WE, IT, IT, WE'VE, UM, BEEN TUNED INTO LARGELY WORKING GROUP, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, WE WE'RE ABOUT TO, UM, UH, SUBMIT A PLANNING VISION REQUEST THAT IS GOING TO HAVE SPECIFIC REQUIRE MODEL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR LARGE LOADS.
UH, I THINK IN, IN THE INTERIM, WE NEED THE, UH, DYNAMIC WORKING GROUP, UH, THE, UH, THE SURVEY WE'RE, WE'RE GOING TO REQUIRE THAT TO BE, UH, FILLED OUT.
UH, AND SO THAT, UH, WHEN WHEN WE GET INTO BATCH ZERO DISCUSSION, UH, EVERYONE WHO'S THINKING YOU MIGHT BE IN THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT REQUIREMENT BECAUSE, UM, UH, THAT THAT IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
WE ARE GOING TO REQUIRE THAT TO GET INTO ANY, UH, ANY BATCH STUDY, BATCH ZERO B AND BEYOND.
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A GOOD STABILITY MODEL, UH, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT TO HAVE THAT IN ORDER TO, TO YOUR POINT, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THAT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM THIS STABILITY SCREENING.
THANK, THAT'S A BIG STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
A, UM, GOOD MORNING OR GOOD AFTERNOON.
I WANNA MOVE TO SLIDE IN YOUR COMPANY NAME REAL QUICK.
UM, SO CAN YOU EXPOUND ON THE DEFINITION OF THE CONSTRUCTION TRANSMISSION AND, AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS
I, I I THINK IT COULD BE BOTH.
IT, IT IS, UH, SO IT'S, UH, YEAH, IT'S GONNA BE THE WHAT WHATEVER SUBSTATION NEEDS TO BE CONSTRUCTED OR BREAKERS NEED TO BE INSTALLED TO, TO CONNECT
[02:05:01]
THE LARGE LOAD.BUT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE ARE ALSO IDENTIFYING TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECTS THAT, UH, MAY, MAY NEED TO GO THROUGH THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP PROCESS.
UH, AND, AND SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT PART OF THE GRAPHIC THERE IS, IS JUST TRYING TO ILLUSTRATE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT TSPS ARE GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTING THEIR TRANSMISSION PROJECTS SUCH THAT, THAT THEY WILL BE COMPLETE BY THE TIME THAT THE PROJECT IS READY TO ENERGIZE.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE DOWN TO THE FINAL FOUR.
UH, GO AHEAD, ERIC, I KNOW YOU'VE SAID MAYBE THIS IS THE RIGHT QUESTION.
GO AHEAD AND TRY IT, ERIC, GO.
ERIC GOFF ON BEHALF OF GOLF POLICY, UM, I AM A LITTLE BIT CONCERNED ABOUT THE TIMELINES, UM, THAT I'M OUT OF THE NEED TO ALSO DO RPG PLANS IF THEY'RE SEPARATE FROM THE BATCH PROCESS, THAT'LL BE, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL MONTHS BEFORE WE GET TO AN ANSWER.
BUT THE, IDEALLY THE, IN THE BATCH PROCESS ITSELF, WE CAN IDENTIFY THE TRANSMISSION PLAN THAT ARE NECESSARY TO SERVE THE LOAD.
I KNOW THAT WE'D HAVE TO FIT IT INTO, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AND YOU, YOU ARE EVALUATING THIS BASED ON, YOU KNOW, NERC CRITERIA.
UM, BUT I DO THINK WE'RE ADDING EXTRA STEPS UNNECESSARILY.
UM, AND I DO THINK IT'S WORTH CONSIDERING THE TIMELINES THAT, THAT THESE EXTRA STEPS THAT ARE NOT IN THE BATCH PROCESS WILL ADD TO THE OVERALL APPENDIC OR LOAD.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF ASSUMPTIONS AROUND THE NEED TO MEET THE SIX MONTH TIMELINE THAT I THINK YOU'VE IDENTIFIED.
AND I APPRECI YOU'VE IDENTIFIED THAT THAT HAS TRADE-OFFS.
I I THINK SOME OF THOSE TRADE OFFS MIGHT RESULT IN ADDITIONAL TIME TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SERVE THE LOAD.
AND SO IT, YOU KNOW, SAYING IT'S A SIX MONTH WINDOW, I THINK IS, IS, YOU KNOW, NOT ENTIRELY CORRECT.
IT MIGHT BE SIX MONTH, BUT IN THE THING THAT'S CALLED BATCH, BUT HAVE ADDITIONAL TIME.
SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON THE OVERALL TIME TO GET TO THE ANSWER NECESSARY TO SERVE LOAD RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, SAYING THAT THINGS WILL BE IN A DIFFERENT PROCESS THAT IS NOT COVERED HERE.
SO, UH, ON THE, THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP REVIEW, UH, WE, WE WILL GET TO THAT LATER.
UH, AND ALSO I WILL ACKNOWLEDGE YOU ARE CORRECT THAT THE, THE, THE, UH, START TO FINISH TIMELINE IS, IS MORE THAN SIX MONTHS.
UH, BUT, BUT THERE, THERE IS SOME OVERLAP.
SO IT IS A ROLLING SIX MONTH TIME PERIOD.
UM, ONE ON, ON THIS CHART RIGHT HERE, NUMBER NINE, BOTTOM, BOTTOM ROW, THE DEVELOPER DEVELOPER RESPONDS TO THE ALLOCATION WHILE HE'S DEVELOPING THE PROJECT.
THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT THAT MEANS THAT WHEN HE PUTS DOWN THAT DEPOSIT, HE'S GOTTA BE GUARANTEED THAT HE CAN CONNECT HIS PROJECT AND BY THE DATE, WHICH IS KIND OF HOW DO WE SQUARE THAT WITH RPG AND RTP.
IF WE'RE BASICALLY SAYING, YES, WE WILL CONNECT YOU BY SUCH AND SUCH A DATE, THAT INHERENTLY MEANS CERTAIN PROJECTS ARE HAVE TO BE APPROVED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
WHEN DO RP? YEAH, WE ARE GONNA COVER IT LATER.
UM, I'LL GIVE YOU A, A BRIEF THOUGHT ON THAT IS WHEN WE IDENTIFY PROJECTS IN, IN THAT, IN THE BATCH STUDY, UH, WE HAVE TO WORK WITH THE TSPS AND WE HAVE TO BAKE IN THAT THERE MAY BE RPG REVIEW PROCESS OR WHATEVER OTHER, YOU KNOW, PROCESSES AND POTENTIAL DELAYS.
WE, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE ARE DOING THE ALLOCATION, WHAT, WHAT THAT RISK IS OF THAT PROJECT SLIPPING FOR WHATEVER REASON.
SO THAT, AND THEN BE BAKE IN MY SECOND POINT, THESE DYNAMIC MODELS THAT YOU WANT, THEY REALLY NEED TO BE, THE EQUIPMENT WILL NOT BE WORSE THAN X, Y, Z PROBLEM BEING WE'RE TALKING POTENTIALLY SIX YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, THEY HAVEN'T EVEN CONCEIVED OF WHAT THESE EQUIP WHAT THESE COMPUTERS AND EQUIPMENT ARE GONNA BE AT THAT POINT.
SO WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE A, A CAREFUL LOOK AT WHAT WE EXPECT FROM THE DYNAMIC MODELS VERSUS WHAT WILL ACTUALLY BE BUILT BY THE TIME WE GET THERE.
SO SOME KIND OF, WILL NOT BE WORSE THAN I THINK IS PROBABLY WHERE WE NEED TO HEAD.
AND, UM, ONE OPEN ITEM THAT WE HAVEN'T ADDRESSED IN, IN, UH, THE PRESENTATION TODAY, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, WE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT IS, UM, HOW DO WE HANDLE CHANGES IN THE PROJECT? UH, AND IN MY MIND, IF YOU CHANGE YOUR DYNAMIC MODEL, THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF POTENTIAL OTHER CHANGE, MANY OTHER POTENTIAL CHANGES THAT
[02:10:01]
COULD HAPPEN WITH THE PROJECT.UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A GOOD PROCESS FOR HOW, HOW WE HANDLE THOSE CHANGES TO PROJECTS.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, JEFF, WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE DON'T SHUT DOWN GOOD IMPROVEMENTS TO EQUIPMENT BECAUSE IT WOULD SEND IT BACK THROUGH A LENGTHY STUDY.
WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE DON'T DO THAT.
I'VE HAD PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD TO DO THAT BEFORE THEY WENT TO GRID FORMING INVERTERS, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, ERCOT ALMOST KILLED THEIR PROJECT WHEN IT WAS SOMETHING ERCOT HAD REQUESTED.
SO WE GOTTA BE REAL CAREFUL ABOUT THAT.
AND, AND I'M SORRY I DIDN'T IDENTIFY BOB WHITMEYER.
YEAH, JOEL NEEDED TO DRAW FOR A CLIENT'S MEETING.
THIS IS, UH, JULIAN VIRGOS FROM EPE.
UM, UH, SHE WANTED TO ASK HOW WILL AIR CODE DEAL WITH PREEXISTING OVERLOADS IN THE CASE? SORRY, WHAT'S THAT AGAIN? YEAH, DID PREEXISTING OVERLOADS IN THE CASE, UM, OR DO YOU WANNA TAKE A SHOT AT THAT AG OR WOULD YOU WANT ME TO YEAH, UH, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A FIRM ANSWER ON THAT.
UM, UH, BUT IT WILL BE, UH, CLEARLY LAID OUT IN THE REVISION REQUEST.
THE, THE OTHER QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS RELATED TO THE PERFORMANCE, LIKE THE, THE, THE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OR CRITERIA THAT YOU'LL USE FOR THE BATCH ANALYSIS, UH, FOR THE STEADY STATE ANALYSIS OR CONTINUOUS ANALYSIS.
ARE YOU ALSO CONSIDERING ANY VOLTAGE CRITERIA? AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, IS ANY, IS EACH TSP UH, HANDLING THE VOLTAGE CRITERIA ASSESSMENT? OR IS AIR CODE'S CRITERIA? YEAH, WE, WE'LL, WE'LL DO A VOLTAGE ANALYSIS, UM, AND THAT, UH, WE'LL, WE'LL FOLLOW THE SAME, SAME PROCESS THAT WE DO IN TRANSMISSION PLANNING TODAY.
YEAH, IT'S, OH, THAT WAS, IT'S ME.
ALRIGHT, SO AJ, IF YOU WANT TO PIVOT, UH, WE'RE GONNA, SO WHAT I'M GOING TO LET AJ DO IS THE, UH, NO QUESTIONS.
LET HIM GET THROUGH THIS AND THEN WE'LL BREAK FOR LUNCH.
UM, AND HE'S THINKING THIS WILL BE 20 TO 30 MINUTES, UH, AND THEN OVER LUNCH ERCOT AND MAKE A PLAN ON HOW TO GET THROUGH THE REST OF THE MATERIALS.
SO THAT WAS AN HOUR AND 10 MINUTES OF QUESTIONS.
SO WE'LL FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAP THIS ALL TOGETHER TO LAND ON TIME.
THANKS, UH, AG SPRINGER, UH, ERCOT.
UM, SO I'M GONNA COVER, UH, HOW WE GET FROM WHERE WE ARE TODAY TO THE BATCH PROCESS THAT JEFF JUST, UH, COVERED THE FRAMEWORK ON.
UM, I HAVE KIND OF TWO SECTIONS HERE.
WELL, UH, THE FIRST IS THE CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION IN THESE BATCH STUDIES, WHICH I, I, I KNOW THERE'S GOING TO BE QUESTIONS AROUND.
AND THEN, UH, WE'LL GET INTO HOW THE BATCH STUDIES ARE GOING TO BE CONDUCTED.
UM, MY INTENTION IS TO GET THROUGH THE CRITERIA AND THEN I WILL, UH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA BREAK FOR LUNCH.
MADAM, AM I RIGHT ON THAT? WE'RE GONNA BREAK FOR LUNCH AND THEN TAKE QUESTIONS AFTER LUNCH.
IS THAT, AND TELL YOU WHAT, I'M GONNA DO SOMETHING KIND OF OUTTA LINE.
I'M GONNA JUST LIKE START FRESH WITH QUESTIONS AFTER YOU'RE DONE.
SO I KNOW SOME QUESTIONS ARE STARTING TO COME IN, BUT THAT ANTICIPATES SLIDES THAT YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE VOICEOVER ON.
SO I DO WANT TO KIND OF GIVE SPACE TO LET IT UNPACK.
WE'LL START WITH THE CLEAN SITE HERE IN A MINUTE, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE RIGHT NOW.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA GO UNTIL MATT, MATT TELLS ME TO STOP.
UM, SO, UH, I THINK THIS, THIS SLIDE KIND OF LAYS OUT WHERE WE ARE.
UM, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY IN OUR INDIVIDUAL STUDY PROCESS, UH, JEFF'S ALREADY COVERED THE, THE WAYS IN WHICH THAT'S KIND OF GOTTEN OVERWHELMED IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.
AND SO I'M NOT GONNA RETREAD THAT.
UH, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT FORMALIZED BATCH STUDIES PROCESS, UM, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO DO SOME ADDITIONAL STUDIES TO TRUE UP THE CURRENT STATE OF THE QUEUE AND KIND OF ALIGN EVERYTHING SO THAT WE HAVE AN ORDERLY TRANSITION INTO THE FORMAL BATCH.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE COLLOQUIALLY CALLING BATCH ZERO.
UM, AND IT'S REALLY ACTUALLY TWO STUDIES, UH, IS SORT OF TWO PHASED APPROACH.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GET INTO THAT IN MORE, MUCH MORE DETAIL IN THE NEXT FEW SLIDES.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, THE END POINT IS AT THE END OF BATCH ZERO, THE THE TIMING IS INTENDED TO BE THAT WE WILL BE, HAVE OUR REVISION REQUESTS SUBMITTED AND APPROVED, AND THE FORMAL BATCH PROCESS WOULD THEN TAKE OVER WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, THIS ORDERLY HANDOFF FROM BATCH ZERO.
BEFORE I GO THROUGH THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, I WANNA COVER JUST A COUPLE OF, UH, ITEMS ON TERMINOLOGY AND KIND OF OVERALL PHILOSOPHY HERE.
UM, THE FIRST IS ON TERMINOLOGY.
[02:15:01]
UM, ON THE NEXT FEW SLIDES, YOU'RE GONNA SEE MANY REFERENCES TO THE WORD FIRM AND THE WORD RESTUDIED.UM, AND THOSE ARE JUST KIND OF BROAD TERMS TO GET THINGS ONTO A SLIDE.
WHEN WE, WHEN WE SEE THE WORD FIRM, WHAT WE'RE REALLY SAYING IS THAT THE, THE LOAD IS INCLUDED AS EFFECTIVELY BASE LOAD AND THE BASELINE ASSUMPTION OF THE BATCH CASES AND THEREFORE IS NOT SUBJECT TO FURTHER ASSESSMENT OR REALLOCATION.
IT'S, IT'S ASSUMED TO BE THERE AS PART OF THE BASELINE ASSUMPTIONS.
RESTUDIED, UM, IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY THERE IS SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT IN THE BATCH.
SO, UM, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MAY HAVE ALREADY HAD ONE STUDY DONE IN THE CURRENT PROCESS.
UM, SOME MAY HAVE NOT HAD ANY STUDIES COMPLETED FULLY.
UM, AND SO IT IS REALLY THEIR FIRST ALLOCATION RATHER THAN A FULL RE STUDY.
BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO CONVEY THERE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, EFFECTIVELY WE'RE GONNA DESCRIBE WHO IS IN AS BASE LOAD, WHO IS GONNA BE ASSESSED IN THAT BATCH STUDY, AND THEN WHO IS NOT INCLUDED.
THE, THE SECOND THING I WANT TO COVER BEFORE WE GO INTO THESE SLIDES IS THE, THE OVERARCHING PRINCIPLE BEHIND HOW WE MADE THESE CUTS.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE ALL AWARE OF THE SIZE OF THE QUEUE AND, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY CUTS, I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER THOSE ARE THE RIGHT CUTS.
AND SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO KIND OF LAY OUT HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
SO THE WAY WE APPROACH THIS IS THAT, UH, THE SORT OF OVERARCHING PRINCIPLE IS THAT EVERY PROJECT THAT IS CURRENTLY NO LONGER AT RISK OF RE-STUDY UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS, THAT WILL CARRY OVER INTO BATCH ZERO.
SO IF, IF A PROJECT HAS MET THE REQUIRED MILESTONES TO NOT BE SUBJECT TO RE-STUDY AND TO BE INCLUDED IN OTHER PROJECTS, UH, UH, INTERCONNECTION STUDIES, THOSE PROJECTS WILL BE CONSIDERED SAFE FOR BATCH ZERO.
NOW, I'M GONNA SAY THERE'S SOME ASTERISK AFTER THAT, ESPECIALLY FOR BATCH ZERO B, UH, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT, BUT THAT'S THE OVERARCHING PRINCIPLE.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE SEGMENTING THE BATCH STUDIES, ZERO A IS INTENDED TO BE GEARED TOWARDS THOSE LOADS THAT ARE CONNECTING IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
SO REALLY BY THE FIRST HALF OF 2027, UM, BECAUSE OF THE QSA TIMELINES AND THE FACT THAT AT LEAST SOME OF THESE LOADS ARE LIKELY ALREADY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, UH, THERE'S A NEED TO GIVE SURETY TO THOSE PROJECTS QUICKLY.
AND SO BATCH ZERO A WILL WILL DO THAT, AND IT WILL DO THAT WITH A VERY LIMITED SCOPE.
THE FULL ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT, UH, INTERCONNECTION QUEUE WILL THEN HAPPEN IN BATCH ZERO B, AND THAT'S MEANT TO BE A MUCH MORE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY, BUT ALSO WILL TAKE LONGER.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THERE WAS A QUESTION SUBMITTED EARLIER, UH, ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE WAY WE WERE DOING ZERO A WAS ASSIGNED THAT POTENTIALLY THERE WAS NO CAPACITY IN 2027.
THAT'S NOT THE, THE THINKING THERE.
IT'S REALLY MEANT TO GIVE THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE ALREADY KIND OF COMING UP ON THEIR STATED, UH, ENERGIZATION TARGETS SOME CERTAINTY.
SO WITH THAT, UM, LET'S GO INTO THE DETAILS.
UM, THIS SLIDE HAS, UH, I THINK A LOT OF INFORMATION, A LOT GOING ON WITH IT.
BUT, UM, I'M GONNA KIND OF TALK THROUGH EACH OF THESE, UH, COLUMNS THAT WE HAVE HERE.
UM, SO THE TOP HALF OF THE SLIDE IS BATCH ZERO A, SO WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT FIRST.
AND WHAT YOU HAVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT IS FIRST OF ALL, GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF WHAT LOAD IS GONNA BE GOING INTO THIS STUDY.
AND THEN, UH, THE NEXT COLUMN IS THE FIRM LOAD QUALIFICATION CRITERIA, FOLLOWED BY WHAT LOADS WILL BE ASSESSING AND THEN THE, THE OUTCOME.
SO IN BATCH ZERO A, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE STARTING WITH THE 2026 PLANNING LOAD FORECAST, UM, AND THEN ADDING IN AS FIRM LOAD, FIRST OF ALL, ANY LOADS THAT ARE CURRENTLY OPERATIONAL OR APPROVED TO ENERGIZE UP TO THOSE APPROVED AMOUNTS.
UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, IN CASE THIS QUESTION'S ALREADY BUBBLING UP, IT, WE WILL BE TAKING CARE TO ENSURE THAT, YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT THOSE LOADS ARE ALREADY INCLUDED IN THE LOAD FORECAST, THAT WE'RE NOT DOUBLE COUNTING THEM, UM, BUT THOSE LOADS WILL BE, UH, INCLUDED AS FIRM.
THEN GOING BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT OVERARCHING PRINCIPLE OF LOADS THAT ARE CURRENTLY CONSIDERED MUST STUDY TODAY, THOSE WILL ALSO BE ADDED IN AS FIRM.
AND SO THOSE WILL BE LOADS THAT, FIRST OF ALL WERE EXEMPT FROM THE INTERIM LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE MARCH, 2022 MARKET NOTICE AND HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN AN RPG OR RTP SUBMISSION.
UM, ADDITIONALLY LOADS THAT WENT THROUGH THE INTERIM PROCESS, AND BY THE END OF THE INTERIM PROCESS, WHICH WAS DECEMBER 15TH, THEY
[02:20:01]
HAD MET THE MUST STUDY CRITERIA, WHICH WAS THE APPROVAL OF A STUDY, STATE STUDY AND ASSIGNED INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT.AND THEN LOADS FINALLY THAT SINCE THE, UH, UNBOXING OF PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE HAVE MET THE ENTIRETY OF SECTIONS 9.4 OR 9.5, AND WE'RE TAKING THE SNAPSHOT FOR THAT, UH, IS WE'RE PROPOSING TO TAKE THAT ON JANUARY 28TH.
SO THE MILESTONES CHANGED WHEN PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE WAS UNBOXED, AND SO THE WE'RE EFFECTIVELY USING THE YARDSTICK THAT WAS IN PLACE AT THE, THE TIME THE PROJECT MET THOSE MILESTONES.
SO THOSE ARE WHO IS FIRM, UH, IT'S APPROXIMATELY 39 GIGAWATTS THAT'LL BE ADDED IN AS SORT OF BASE LOAD TO THE, UH, ON TOP OF THE EXISTING PLANNING FORECAST.
UM, THEN IN TERMS OF WHO IS INCLUDED FOR STUDY, IT'S GONNA BE A, UH, TWO CRITERIA NEED TO BE MET.
UM, HAS A APPROVED STUDY STATE STUDY AS OF THAT JANUARY 28TH MEASUREMENT DATE, AND HAS A TARGET ENERGIZATION DATE THAT IS ON OR BEFORE, UH, JUNE 30TH, 2027.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS A VERY LIMITED STUDY SCOPE.
WE'RE REALLY JUST TRYING TO CLEAR, GIVE CLEAR ANSWERS TO THOSE LOADS THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE NEXT 18 MONTHS.
UM, AND SO AS A RESULT, THE OUTCOME, UH, FROM THE STUDY WILL BE AN ALLOCATION FOR 2027 ONLY.
UM, NO TRANSMISSION UPGRADES ARE GONNA BE IDENTIFIED IN THIS, UH, BATCH ZERO A AND THAT'S AGAIN, FOR SPEED OF THE STUDY.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GO INTO THIS LAST POINT HERE IN A BUNCH MORE DETAIL, UH, IS THE RESULTS OF BATCH ZERO A WILL BE CONTINGENT ON MEETING THE 58 4 81 INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT CRITERIA AFTER THE STUDY.
SO, AND THAT WILL BE TRUE FOR LOADS THAT ARE ASSUMED TO BE FIRM IN BATCH ZERO A.
UM, SO THE, THE, YOU KNOW, I THINK AT A HIGH LEVEL ZERO A, YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THIS AS A VERY, UH, FAST EFFORT TO TRUE UP THE CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS FOR THESE LOADS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
BUT THERE'S GOING TO NEED TO BE A AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AFTER THAT TO, UH, SECURE THE PLACE IN THE MORE COMPREHENSIVE ZERO B STUDY.
NOW, UM, WHAT IS INCLUDED IN ZERO B? WE'VE PUT ON THIS GRAPH NUMBERS, BUT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THOSE ARE SORT OF THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF LOAD THAT COULD MAKE IT INTO ZERO B, BECAUSE INCLUSION IS GOING TO BE CONTINGENT ON, UH, MEETING THE 58 4 81 MILESTONES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AT, AT THE MOMENT WE DON'T HAVE ANY WAY TO SAY WITH SURETY, WHICH LOADS WILL ACTUALLY DO THAT.
AND SO THIS REPRESENTS THE LARGEST POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF LOAD THAT COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY.
HOWEVER, IT, IT COULD AND LIKELY WILL BE LESS THAN THAT AS THOSE UH, MILESTONES COME INTO PLACE.
SO, UM, FROM THE, THE THE STARTING POINT OF WHAT WAS IN BATCH A, WE'RE GONNA AGAIN INCLUDE FIRM LOAD, UH, FROM BATCH A THAT MET THE 58 41 INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT CRITERIA BY THE START OF BATCH B.
ADDITIONALLY, THERE'LL BE, UM, UH, ANY LOADS THAT RECEIVED ALLOCATION FROM BATCH A, UM, AND HAVE MET THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS CRITERIA WOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED AS FIRM AND BATCH B.
AND THEN LOADS THAT HAVE BEEN EXEMPTED FROM THE INTERIM LLI PROCESS AND ARE INCLUDED IN AN RPG OR RTP STUDY AND HAVE ENERGIZATION DATES FURTHER OUT INTO THE FUTURE.
SO THEY WEREN'T INCLUDED IN ZERO A 'CAUSE IT ONLY COVERED 2027, BUT YOU KNOW, WOULD BE INCLUDED IN LATER STUDY YEARS.
AND, UM, THERE'S ONE, UH, OMISSION FROM THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, ON NUMBER FIVE AT THE BOTTOM HERE.
UM, THOSE LOADS WILL ALSO NEED TO MEET THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS CRITERIA FOR 58,481 TO BE INCLUDED.
UM, AND SO, UH, UH, INCLUSION AS A RTP LOAD FOR ZERO B, UM, OR RPG LOAD IS NOT AUTOMATIC.
IT ALSO WILL BE DEPENDENT ON THOSE AGREEMENTS.
UM, THEN GOING ON TO WHAT IS STUDIED, THIS IS SORT OF THE OVERALL ARCHING EFFORT TO TRUE UP THE QUEUE.
SO IT'S GONNA INCLUDE ANY PROJECT THAT HAS AT LEAST ONE STUDY SUBMITTED TO ERCOT BY JANUARY 28TH OF THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THOSE LOADS HAVE, UH, ALSO MET THE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT CRITERIA IN 58,481.
UM, SO, UH, THERE IS NO AUTOMATIC INCLUSION HERE EITHER.
THERE IS A ADDITIONAL MILESTONE THAT FROM THE, UH, EXPECTED RULEMAKING THAT WOULD NEED TO BE MET.
UM, THIS STUDY'S OUTPUT'S GONNA LOOK VERY MUCH LIKE THE, UM, FORMALIZED BATCH PROCESS THAT JEFF, UH, LAID OUT IN HIS FIRST PART OF THIS PRESENTATION.
SO WE'RE EXPECTING TO SEE, UH,
[02:25:01]
UH, STUDY YEARS THAT WILL COVER 2027 TO 2032, UH, THAT THE IDENTIFIED TRANSMISSION UPGRADES WOULD BE, UH, COMING OUT OF THAT TO SERVE THESE LOADS.AND THOSE WOULD BE REVIEWABLE BY RPG WERE APPROPRIATE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AS A KIND OF A FINAL POINT ON ALL THIS IS THAT, UH, THE LOADS THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN ZERO A OR ZERO B ARE DEFERRED TO BATCH ONE.
SO FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO COME TO LOWG REGULARLY AND ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR, UH, INTERCONNECTION QUEUE SLIDES, THERE'S I THINK ABOUT 140 GIGAWATTS OF PROJECTS THAT HAVE NOT SUBMITTED, UH, EVEN INITIAL STUDIES TO ERCOT.
AND, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF BATCH ZERO, THOSE PROJECTS WOULD THEN BE EVALUATED IN IN BATCH ONE.
OKAY, SO I'VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON THE TIMING CONSIDERATIONS AROUND ZERO A, BUT I JUST WANT TO KIND OF REITERATE THEM.
UM, SO THE, WITH THE UNBOXING OF PLANNING, UH, PICKER ONE 15, UH, LOADS THAT LARGE LOADS THAT WANT TO INTERCONNECT ARE REQUIRED TO GO THROUGH THE QSA PRIOR TO INITIAL ENERGIZATION.
AND SO AS A RESULT, UM, THAT, THAT QSA TIMELINE HAS AN IMPACT ON HOW THESE BATCHES ARE CONDUCTED.
UH, AND SO, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO ZERO A, WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT PROJECTS THAT ARE LOOKING TO HIT 2027 IMMUNIZATION DATES IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR ARE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THAT STUDY DONE IN TIME FOR THEM TO ENTER THE APPROPRIATE QSAS.
UM, AND SO I THINK EFFECTIVELY WHAT YOU CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THESE SLIDES IS, UH, PROJECTS THAT WANT TO ENERGIZE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THIS YEAR, UM, REALLY ARE GOING TO NEED TO ALREADY HAVE HAD ALL OF THEIR BIGGER ONE 15 MILESTONES MET.
SO THAT'S SECTIONS 9.4 AND 9.5.
UM, THEY'LL BE TREATED AS FIRM IN THE BATCH PROCESS AND THEY WOULD GO THROUGH THE QSAS IN THE, UH, IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR FOR THOSE ENERGIZATION DATES.
THE PATH FOR LOADS WANTING TO ENERGIZE IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2027 WOULD BE BATCH ZERO A.
UM, AND THE BATCH ZERO A WOULD LINE UP WITH THE AUGUST AND NOVEMBER, 2026 DEADLINES FOR THOSE QSAS, UH, FOR ENERGIZATION IN 2027.
AND THEN THE INTENT, AND I HAVE A SLIDE ON TIMELINE A LITTLE BIT LATER, UH, IS THAT BAT ZERO B WOULD THEN BE, UH, COMPLETE IN TIME FOR THE FEBRUARY 1ST, 2027 QSA.
AND SO LOADS COMING OUT OF THAT PROCESS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR INTER UH, ENTERING THAT QSA.
UH, SO IT'S UH, UH, WE DO HAVE SOME GRAPHICAL SLIDES THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER ON.
UM, BUT I HOPEFULLY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN THAT THE THINKING WITH ZERO A IS TO GET THINGS TRUED UP FOR THE LOADS THAT ARE WANTING TO ENERGIZE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THESE TWO SLIDES KIND OF QUICKLY 'CAUSE THEY LAY OUT MUCH OF WHAT WAS ON, UM, THE, THE SLIDE WITH THE LOAD GRAPHS, BUT, UM, WE FELT THAT THIS WAS VALUABLE, UH, IN KIND OF FRAMING UP THE ELIGIBILITY FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
UM, SO THIS, THIS, UH, CHART CONTAINS THE SAME INFORMATION AS WHAT WAS ON THAT SLIDE WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL.
UM, AND SO FOR INCLUSION IN BATCH ZERO A, IF YOUR PROJECT IS OPERATIONAL OR APPROVED TO ENERGIZE, OR IT WAS EXEMPT FROM THE LLI INTERIM LLI PROCESS BY THE MARKET NOTICE AND WAS INCLUDED IN RRPG OR RTP STUDY WITH AN ENERGIZATION DATE, UH, ON OR BEFORE OCTOBER 1ST, 2027, THOSE LOADS WILL BE CONSIDERED FIRM.
UM, ADDITIONALLY LOADS THAT HAVE EITHER MET THE INTERIM MUST STUDY CRITERIA BEFORE DECEMBER 15TH, OR HAVE MET THE FULL AGREEMENTS, UH, REQUIREMENTS IN PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE AFTER DECEMBER 15TH, THOSE WILL BE CONSIDERED FIRM AS WELL.
AND THEN IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED, UH, IT'S GOING TO BE THE LOADS THAT HAVE REQUESTED AN ENERGIZATION DATE ON OR BEFORE JUNE 30TH, 2027 AND HAVE A STEADY STATE STUDY APPROVED BY THAT SNAPSHOT DATE OF JANUARY 28TH.
UM, THOSE LOADS WILL BE INCLUDED, BUT THEY WILL BE STUDIED IN THE BATCH AND A SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION.
UM, AND SO ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T MEET THOSE CRITERIA WILL, WILL BE LEFT OUT OF OF ZERO A.
THIS IS WHERE I THINK THE, THE CHART APPROACH IS A LITTLE BIT MORE USEFUL.
UM, FOR ZERO B, IF YOUR LARGE LOAD WAS OPERATIONAL OR APPROVED TO ENERGIZE, IT'S STILL INCLUDED AND, UH, NOT SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION IF IT WAS INCLUDED IN BATCH ZERO A, WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS CONSIDERED FIRM OR NOT.
HOW IT'LL BE TREATED IN BATCH B WILL BE DEPENDENT ON WHETHER WHICH OF THE 58 4 81 MILESTONES
[02:30:01]
THE PROJECT MEETS PRIOR TO THE START OF BATCH B.SO IT'S SORT OF A CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE AT THAT POINT.
UM, LOADS THAT MEET THE FULL INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS REQUIREMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED FIRM PROJECTS THAT MEET THE INTERMEDIATE REQUIREMENTS.
AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE SUBJECT TO RE-STUDY, UM, AND NOT INCLUDED IF NEITHER OF THOSE MILESTONES ARE MET.
UM, AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR ADDITIONAL RTP AND RPG LOADS, UH, THAT, UH, ARE WANTING TO COME INTO BATCH B.
UH, THEY WOULD NEED TO MEET, UH, THOSE SAME MILESTONES AND BE TREATED ACCORDINGLY.
SO, YOU KNOW, ON THE GRAPH I MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SORT OF THE MAXIMUM SIZE OF LOAD THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED.
IT'S BECAUSE OF WE DON'T KNOW, UH, HOW MANY OF THESE PROJECTS ARE GONNA MEET WHICH MILESTONES.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WON'T HAVE A FULL PICTURE OF THE SIZE OF BATCH B UNTIL WE REALLY GET THERE.
OH, I HAVE ONE MORE SLIDE NOW AND THEN WE'LL TAKE QUESTIONS.
SO, UH, JUST A COUPLE OF, I I JUST WANNA PUT A POINT ON THAT LAST LAST PIECE THAT I SAID THERE.
SO INCLUSION IN BATCH ZERO B WILL BE DEPENDENT ON MEETING THAT THOSE REQUIREMENTS IN 58 4 81, AND AS A RESULT, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT INCLUSION IN BATCH ZERO A WILL NOT GUARANTEE INCLUSION IN ZERO B IF THERE'S NO COMMITMENT FROM THE INTERCONNECTING LARGE LOAD ENTITY.
UM, AND KIND OF AS A COROLLARY TO THAT, IF A LOAD WAS CONS ASSUMED TO BE FIRM IN ZERO A, THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE, UH, IN ZERO B UNLESS THAT LOAD MEETS THE, THE ABOVE CRITERIA.
SO, UM, THERE IS GOING TO NEED TO BE, UH, UH, ACTIVE ACTIONS FROM THE, THE INTERCONNECTING LARGE LOAD ENTITY TO HELP DETERMINE WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT THE PROPER TREATMENT IS IN THOSE STUDIES.
OKAY, WE'RE GONNA PAUSE HERE AND TAKE SOME QUESTIONS.
WELL, YOU'RE NOT, THEY'RE HUNGRY.
WHAT THIS IS, I KNOW THIS IS LIKE, IT'S AT THE END OF A GOOD MOVIE AND NOW WE HAVE TO STOP.
SO WHAT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IS WHAT WE'RE PAUSING RIGHT NOW, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDES, SO WE JUST WENT THROUGH TIMING AND CRITERIA AFTER LUNCH IS THE IDEA OF STILL TALKING ABOUT BATCH ZERO A AND B ON THE MECHANICS OF HOW IT IS STUDIED.
AND I THINK AT THAT POINT THEN WE WOULD STOP AND TAKE QUESTIONS TO KIND OF CLEAR THE BATCH, PARDON PUN.
AND THEN WE WILL, WE STILL HAVE MECHANICALLY TO GET INTO THE LOAD RESOURCES, THE COGEN BE LOOKING IN, HOW DO THE RPG STUDIES FIT WITH THESE STUDIES? SO THAT'S STILL A SIGNIFICANT PIECE.
SO MY GUESS IS, WELL, I'M NOT GONNA GUESS WE'RE GONNA TALK AS A TEAM TO COME BACK AND TRY TO MAKE THIS EFFICIENT, BUT CONSIDER THIS, WE'RE TAKING A 45 MINUTE LUNCH BREAK.
SO WE'RE GONNA START AGAIN AT 1250 ISH AND WE WILL START AT 1250, UM, WITH AG CONTINUING HIS PRESENTATION THROUGH THE BATCH PROCESS, THE ZERO A AND B.
AND THEN WE'LL PAUSE AT THAT POINT FOR A RING OF QUESTIONS.
SO DO WE HAVE TO REENTER THE QUEUE IF WE WANT HAVE QUESTIONS OR ARE YOU GONNA BUILD IT BASED ON WHAT'S ALREADY IN THERE? THERE IS NO QUEUE.
SO WE ARE GONNA START FRESH AFTER HIS PRESENTATION CONCLUDES ON OR AROUND.
SO WE'RE GONNA COME BACK TALK FOR A WHILE AND THEN WE'LL OPEN THE QUEUE FOR QUESTIONS THAT THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE LISTEN TO THE REST OF IT TO GET TO IT.
HE JUST VOICED OVER THINGS THAT PROBABLY ASKED ANSWER 20 QUESTIONS, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE WE GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE VOICEOVERS.
WE STAND ADJOURNED UNTIL 1250 AND THE FOOD TRUCK.
THE, FOR THE FOOD TRUCK, THEY SAID THEY STOPPED TAKING PRE-ORDERS, BUT YOU CAN STILL GO OUT THERE AND ORDER AND THEY'RE VERY QUICK IN DELIVERING FIRST IN, FIRST OUT.
GO ON THE CLOCK VERSUS TRYING TO GET EVERYONE TO TALK.
SO, UM, IT'S BEEN SUGGESTED ALSO BY A COUPLE PEOPLE, NOT ONLY BE BRIEF AND AMAZING, BUT WHAT IS THE ONE QUESTION YOU WANT TO ASK WITHOUT TWO COMMENTS OR IT'S THREE PARTS.
IT'S THE ONE QUESTION WE'D APPRECIATE THAT TO IF POSSIBLE, BUT LET ME YIELD THE FLOOR TO AG.
UM, SO WE'RE GOING TO, UH, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THROUGH, UM, TRANSITIONING FROM, UH, THE INCLUSION CRITERIA IN BATCH ZERO A AND ZERO B TO THE PROCESS FOR HOW WE ARE GOING TO CONDUCT THESE STUDIES.
UM, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND IS THAT BATCH ZERO A IS, UH, SORT OF ITS OWN ANIMAL.
UM, AND THEN BATCH ZERO B IS GONNA BEAR A LOT OF RESEMBLANCE TO THE FORMAL BATCH PROCESS THAT JEFF LAID OUT THIS MORNING.
HANG ON A SECOND, LEMME GET THE SLIDES GOING AGAIN.
UM, SO STARTING WITH BATCH ZERO A, UM, WE, WE LOOKED AT THIS WITH SOME KEY DESIGN
[02:35:01]
CONSIDERATIONS IN MIND.UH, SO FIRST OF ALL, AGAIN, THE GOAL OF THE STUDY IS TO ENSURE THAT LOADS THAT HAVE A CLOSE END TIMELINE CAN BE STUDIED AND GET SOME RESULTS, UH, IN TIME TO MOVE FORWARD BY THEIR DESIRED ENERGIZATION DATES.
UM, SO AS A RESULT, UH, WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT THOSE LOADS CAN BE CONNECTED RELIABLY.
THE STUDY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE DONE QUICKLY, UM, AND AS A RESULT IT'S GONNA BE KIND OF LIMITED IN SCOPE AND NOT STUDY LATER YEARS, UH, THE WAY THAT ZERO B WILL.
UM, AND SO IF WE GO TO THE SCOPE, THEN WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT WE'RE GONNA USE THREE CASES, 2027 SUMMER PEAK, 2027 SUMMER NET PEAK.
AND THAT'S AGAIN THE, UH, UH, LATE IN THE DAY NO SOLAR, UM, PEAK LOAD, UH, PEAK NET LOAD CONDITION.
UM, FOR THOSE JUST LIKE THE FORMAL BATCH PROCESS, WE'LL BE LOOKING AT ALL M MINUS ONE AND THEN SELECT G MINUS ONE N MINUS ONE X MINUS ONE N MINUS ONE, AND M MINUS ONE MINUS ONE.
UM, AND THEN ADDITIONALLY WE'LL USE THE FALL 2027, UH, FALL PEAK MAINTENANCE OUTAGE CASE TO LOOK AT, UH, THE M MINUS ONE MINUS ONE AS WELL.
UM, AND SO THE PROCESS I THINK IS, IS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
WE'LL BE TAKING, UH, THOSE CASES, CONDITIONING THEM, UPDATING, UH, TRANSMISSION AND GENERATION, UH, INCLUSION IN THE CASE, UH, TO MATCH, UH, THE BEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION.
UM, WE'LL ADD THE LARGE LOADS THAT MEET THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, FIRM CRITERIA.
AND, YOU KNOW, I I WANT TO EMPHASIZE, 'CAUSE I DID GET A COUPLE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS AT THE BREAK.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FIRM, WHAT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT IS, UH, WHETHER OR NOT THAT LOAD INTENDS TO BE FLEXIBLE AS A CLR OR NOT.
IT'S REALLY A LOAD THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE BASE ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO FURTHER RES STUDY.
SO WHEN YOU SEE, UM, YOU KNOW, FIRM IN QUOTATION MARKS, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
IT'S NOT MEANT TO BE A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THAT LOAD BEHAVES IN OPERATION.
UM, AND THEN SO LOADS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY, EITHER AS NOT SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL STUDY OR AS SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL STUDY WILL BE ADDED.
AND ANY LOADS THAT ARE IN THE PLANNING MODELS THAT DON'T MEET THOSE CRITERIA WILL BE REMOVED.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL, UH, AS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE WON'T BE PERFORMING A, UH, STABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR THIS ONE.
IT'LL BE STEADY STATE CONTINGENCY ANALYSIS AND IDENT IDENTIFYING THOSE LOAD CONSUMPTION LIMITS, UH, THAT'LL BE NEEDED, UH, TO I RELIABLY SERVE THOSE LOADS.
UM, AND THEN THE GOAL, UH, THEN WOULD BE TO COMMUNICATE THOSE, UH, LIMITS TO THE INTERCONNECTING LARGE LOAD ENTITIES.
UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS STUDY ONLY COVERS 2027.
SO FOR CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE A LONGER RAMP, THOSE ADDITIONAL MEGAWATTS WILL BE EVALUATED IN BATCH ZERO B AND COMMUNICATED THEM.
SO WHAT DOES THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE FOR THIS? SO THE INTENT IS, UH, REALLY TO, WE'VE ALREADY BEGUN THE INITIAL STAGES OF CASE CONDITIONING, UM, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE THROUGH, UH, FEBRUARY WITH THE STUDY KICKING OFF AROUND APRIL 1ST.
UM, THE GOAL WOULD BE TO COMPLETE THIS STUDY IN TWO MONTHS AND HAVE THE RESULTS COMMUNICATED OUT, UH, BY MID-JUNE.
AND AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, UM, THERE WILL BE THAT AFFIRMATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR THE LOADS TO MEET THE 58,481 INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS CRITERIA IN ORDER TO ACCEPT THEIR ALLOCATIONS FROM BATCH A AND B CONSIDERED FIRM OR NOT SUBJECT FOR ADDITIONAL RE-STUDY IN BATCH B.
SO, UM, THE RESULTS ARE, ARE, UH, UH, HAVE TO BE ACTIVELY ACCEPTED.
THIS IS GONNA LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THE SLIDE JEFF HAD UP EARLIER.
UH, THE SAME DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS.
UM, BASICALLY WE'RE LOOKING TO ENSURE THAT THOSE LOADS THAT ARE UNDERSTUDY CAN BE RELIABLY CONNECTED.
UM, AND THIS STUDY IS MEANT TO BE MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND PROVIDE CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE ENTIRE RANGE OF THE STUDY PERIOD.
UM, SO THIS PRO UH, THIS STUDY IS GONNA LOOK AT 2027 THROUGH 2031.
UM, SAME CASES FOR EACH OF THOSE, THOSE YEARS.
UH, AND SAME SET OF CONTINGENCIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE EVALUATED.
UM, AND THE PROCESS IS GONNA BE SIMILAR BUT HAVE ADDITIONAL STEPS.
SO THE SAME CASE CONDITIONING STEPS ARE TAKEN, UH, THE SAME CONTINGENCY ANALYSIS FOR STEADY STATE IS DONE.
UM, AND THE SAME LOAD ADJUSTMENTS TO IDENTIFY THE AMOUNTS THAT CAN BE RELIABLY SERVED IN EACH YEAR ARE DONE.
BUT THEN THE ADDITIONAL STEPS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED IN BATCH ZERO A, UH, FIRST ARE A STABILITY SCREENING ANALYSIS, UH, THAT WOULD FURTHER IMPACT THE LOAD ALLOCATION AMOUNTS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, ALSO COORDINATION OF, UH, WITH THE TSPS TO
[02:40:01]
IDENTIFY TRANSMISSION IMPROVEMENTS THAT COULD BE, UH, UTILIZED TO SERVE THESE CUSTOMERS ALONG THEIR, THEIR DESIRED TIMELINES.SO THE OUTPUTS OF THE STUDY ARE GOING TO BE, UH, THERE'LL BE MORE OUTPUTS FROM FROM ZERO B THAN THERE WERE FROM A, UM, THE FIRST IS THE, AGAIN, ALLOCATED LOAD AMOUNTS THROUGH THE YEAR 2032.
UM, BUT THEN ALSO CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS FOR THE TSPS THAT IDENTIFY, UM, THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADED, UH, GRADE PROJECTS AND THE ASSOCIATED LOI REQUESTS THAT GO WITH THEM.
AND THAT WOULD THEN DRIVE THE RPG SUBMISSIONS, UH, WHERE APPROPRIATE.
UM, AND SO THE TIMELINE FOR THIS ONE'S A LITTLE BIT LONGER, UH, BUT THE INTENT IS TO BEGIN THE STUDY, UH, ON APPROXIMATELY BETWEEN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER 1ST.
SO THE DEADLINE FOR MEETING THOSE 58 4 81 REQUIREMENTS WOULD BE AUGUST 1ST.
UH, AND, UH, THE STUDY AND LOAD ALLOCATION WOULD BE COMPLETE BY THE END OF 2026 WITH RESULTS COMMUNICATED NEXT JANUARY.
UM, AND THEN THAT WOULD LINE UP WITH THE FIRST BATCH STUDY.
AND I HAVE A, I HAVE A SLIDE THAT HAS THE WHOLE TIMELINE LAID OUT, SO HANG, HANG IN THERE ON QUESTIONS ON THAT ONE.
UM, BUT, UH, THAT WOULD LINE UP WITH THE 58 4 81 DEADLINE TO ACCEPT RESULTS FROM BATCH ZERO B LINING UP WITH THE DEADLINES FOR, UH, THE FIRST BATCH STUDY.
SO WHILE YOU'RE DOING THIS, SO WE'RE OPENING THE QUEUE NOW FOR QUESTIONS ON THE BATCH STUDY.
THANK YOU AG I KNOW PEOPLE STOP LOOKING AT YOU, BUT THE TIMELINE'S RIGHT THERE.
UM, SO PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER, WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, WHAT JEFF TALKED ABOUT, AND THEN WHAT I'VE COVERED IN THE BATCH ZERO SECTION OF THIS PRESENTATION KIND OF ALL COMES TOGETHER ON THIS SLIDE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE TALKED THROUGH, WE HAD THE STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS THROUGH THE MONTH OF JANUARY.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING THIS FRAMEWORK.
UM, TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS THE FIRST KIND OF LARGE, UH, LAYOUT OF THAT AND, AND OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD A UR HERE SIGN, WE WERE IN THAT MIDDLE STAR AT TODAY'S WORKSHOP, THERE'LL BE ANOTHER WORKSHOP NEXT WEEK ON THURSDAY.
UM, AND THE INTENTION WOULD BE TO START THE BATCH ZERO, A STUDY AROUND APRIL 1ST.
UM, AT THE SAME TIME, IN PARALLEL WE'RE INTENDING TO HAVE THE REVISION REQUESTS, UH, BEING DEVELOPED.
UH, THAT PROCESS IS ALREADY BEGINNING AND YOU KNOW, THE INTENTION WOULD BE TO MOVE THE REVISION REQUEST FOR THE FORMAL BATCH PROCESS IN PARALLEL WITH BATCH ZERO A AND BATCH ZERO B.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE HERE, YOU KNOW, BATCH ZERO A WOULD CONCLUDE, UH, AROUND THE END OF OF JUNE, AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE THE, THE COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS.
THERE'S SOME TIME BEFORE BATCH ZERO B FOR LOADS TO MEET THEIR COMMITMENT REQUIREMENTS AND ENTER BATCH ZERO B.
AND THEN BATCH ZERO B WOULD FINISH UP, UH, IN JANUARY AND IN TIME FOR THE FIRST BATCH STUDY TO BEGIN IN MARCH.
UH, SO IT'S, UH, IT'S A BIT OF A SPRINT, UM, BUT THE, THAT'S HOW WE ENVISION ALL OF THIS FITTING TOGETHER, UM, OVER THE NEXT YEAR AND, AND CHANGE.
UM, SO REAL QUICK BEFORE WE OPEN THE FLORIDA QUESTIONS, I JUST WANNA POINT OUT, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH, UH, EVERYTHING ON THIS SLIDE, BUT WE DO HAVE A SLIDE IN HERE THAT KIND OF LAYS OUT HOW THE SEQUENTIAL BATCH STUDY WILL WORK, INCLUDING ERCOT ACTIVITIES THAT HAPPEN KIND OF IN PREPARATION FOR EACH STUDY DURING EACH STUDY.
AND THEN THINGS LIKE THE STABILITY ANALYSIS THAT HAPPEN A LITTLE BIT OUTSIDE OF THE STUDY.
AND IT SHOWS ALSO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ENTER THE FIRST BATCH, WHEN CAN YOU, UH, REALISTICALLY ENERGIZE AS A RESULT OF THAT? SO I'M NOT GONNA TALK THROUGH ANY FURTHER THAN THAT, BUT I'M, IF, IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS WE CAN, WE CAN LUMP THAT IN AS WELL.
SO WITH THAT, UH, I YIELD THE FLOOR.
AND JEFF, DID YOU WANNA SHARE SOMETHING REAL QUICK? YEAH, SO I, I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS, UH, UH, I'M SURE EVERYONE WANTS TO KNOW.
WHICH, WHICH OF THESE BUCKETS DOES MY LARGE LOAD REQUEST FIT IN? UH, SO ERCOT IS, UH, WE WILL BE WORKING WITH THE TSPS TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THE TSPS, UH, SO THAT THEY WILL HAVE THAT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, MAYBE LESS.
THAT IS PROBABLY A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
ALRIGHT, SO STARTING, OH GOODNESS, I LOST FOCUS ON, DO YOU, WHO'S THE FIRST ONE? UH, SO BERNARDO, YOU ARE FIRST UP, AND AGAIN, IF YOU IDENTIFY YOUR COMPANY AND ASK THE QUESTION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
[02:45:01]
CASES WHERE ALL REQUIRED INFORMATION WAS SENT TO THE TSP, UM, MORE THAN ONE, TWO TO TWO YEARS AGO.THE LOAD IS SUBSTANTIATE, HAS SITE CONTROL, HAS BACKUP GENERATION, HAS CO-LOCATED GENERATION AND EVERYTHING THAT IS NEEDING WITH SOME BACK AND FORTH WITH THE TSP.
BUT DUE TO A DECISION, UH, FROM THE TSP, THE LOAD STUDIES WERE NOT STARTED.
SO MY QUESTION IS, UM, IN THE BATCH ZERO FRAMEWORK PRESENTED TODAY, ERCO CONSIDERED A TARGET IF YOU WOULD CONSIDER A TARGET ADJUSTMENT FOR BETA ZERO B ELIGIBILITY TO ADDRESS THOSE PROJECTS THAT THEY WERE DELAYED BECAUSE OF TSP IN ACTION, UH, RATHER THAN LACK OF SUB SUBSTANTIATION OF THE LOAD.
SO IT'S SPECIFICALLY IF ERCOT WOULD CONSIDER ALLOWING THE ENTRY INTO BATCH ZERO B FOR PROJECTS THAT CAN DEMONSTRATE, NUMBER ONE, A VALID AND COMPLETE INTERCONNECTION PROTOCOL ADMISSION, FORMAL TIMELY INTERCONNECTION REQUEST TO SUBMITTED TO THE TSP AND THE DOCUMENTED ABSENCE OF TSP ACTION, DESPITE MEETINGS, INDICAT SUBSTATION OF THE LOAD AND IN PARALLEL ADJUSTING THE BATCH ZERO DATE, STARTING THE DATE IN ORDER TO ALLOW FOR A BETTER ALIGNING, UH, WITH THE ACTUAL START OF BATCH ZERO.
CONSIDERING THAT THIS PROJECT, THEY DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY WERE READY TO START LOAD CONNECTION STUDIES.
YEAH, NO, SO I'LL, I'LL TAKE THAT.
UM, SO I, UM, WE NEED, UH, CERTAIN INFORMATION TO, TO BE ABLE TO, UM, I THINK MAKE THAT CALL.
AND, UH, AND I THINK SOME OF WHAT YOU, YOU MENTIONED, I I THINK WE JUST, WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO KNOW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED TALKING TO THE TSP, BUT I, I THINK, UM, AND ANY TSPS WANT TO JUMP IN AND, AND CORRECT ME ON THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I WELCOME THAT.
I THINK, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE NUMBER OF PROJECTS THAT ARE OUT THERE THAT THERE HAVE THAT SITUATION WHERE THEY'VE GONE TO THE TSP, THAT TSP HAS NOT SUBMITTED ANY STUDIES OR TAUGHT YET.
UM, AND, AND SO WE, WE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THAT PROJECT OR THAT THEY MAY BE STILL EARLY IN THE PROCESS.
I THINK OUR, OUR ASSUMPTION ON THOSE, THIS IS BASED ON MY UNDERSTANDING, IS THAT THERE IS NOT A NEAR TERM ABILITY TO CONNECT THOSE PROJECTS TO THE GRID BECAUSE THERE, THERE'S SO MANY OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE ALREADY GOING ON.
UH, AND SO OUR OUR THINKING IS THAT, UH, THOSE PROJECTS, UH, CAN GET INTO BATCH ONE AND THAT IS, UH, LIKELY A MUCH QUICKER PATH THAN FOR THEM, THOSE LOADS TO GET CONNECTED THAN IF THEY WERE TO STAY IN THE, IN THE CURRENT PROCESS.
UH, BECAUSE THERE, THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON THAT, THAT THERE'S JUST, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE CONNECTED IN 2027 THERE, THERE'S JUST NO, NO WAY TO CONNECT THAT, THAT PROJECT TO THE GRID.
OKAY? IF EVEN THE CASE THAT IS AN EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING PROJECT AND THAT THERE IS ABILITY TO CONNECT IN 2027, THE LOAD IS ALREADY BEING BUILT.
YEAH, I THINK, UM, AGAIN, IT'S, UH, BECAUSE OF MAYBE OTHER LOADS IN THE AREA, UH, I THINK OUR, OUR ASSUMPTION ON THOSE PROJECTS IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE GRID IN, IN THAT AREA TO ACCEPT ADDITIONAL POWER IN, IN ANY TIME, LET'S SAY IN, IN THE NEAR TERM.
SORRY, I WAS SCROLLING THROUGH ALL THESE.
I'M SORRY I'M NOT OH, I'M SORRY.
SO IF YOU GO TO SLIDE 16 OR 17, YEAH, I THINK SIGN 17 KIND OF LAYS IT OUT.
SO FOR 27 ENERGIZATION, THESE TIMELINES PROBABLY DON'T WORK FOR 27 LOADS BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING,
[02:50:01]
YOU'RE SAYING BADGE ZERO A WOULD BE COMPLETED IN JUNE 15TH.SO THAT GIVES LOADS JUST ONE YEAR TO CONSTRUCT A DATA CENTER AND ENERGIZE IN Q2 OF 27.
SO THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TIMELINE.
SO DATA CENTERS AT LEAST NEED 80, 18 MONTHS TO CONSTRUCT A DATA CENTER.
THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, AND WE NEED TO DO THE MEGAWATT UPFRONT SO THAT WE COULD PLAN OUT AND BUILD.
SO BEING IN BATCH ZERO A WOULD PRACTICALLY RESULT IN 28 ENERGIZATION AND BEING IN BATCH ZERO B WOULD PROBABLY BE 29.
SO MY SUGGESTION IS THAT THESE LOADS THAT HAVE SATISFIED, YOU KNOW, BIGGER 9.4, SECTION 9.4, AND ARE WORKING ON 9.5, WHICH BY THE WAY, THE DOCUMENTS IS 180 DAYS TO GET THAT DONE RIGHT, 9.5, IF THEY ARE WORKING ON THOSE THINGS, GIVE THEM TIME AND OPPORTUNITY TO FIRM UP BEFORE ZERO A IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT THEM TO BE ENERGIZED IN 27.
BECAUSE IF THEY GET INTO BAD ZERO A, THERE IS NO, I WOULDN'T SAY NO, BUT THERE'S VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF CHANCE THAT THEY WOULD ACTUALLY GET ENERGIZED IN 27.
SO, SO INSTEAD OF RETROACTIVELY DRAWING A LINE ON AT 1 28, GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITY IF THEY ARE WORKING ON 9.5 TO GET FIRMED UP SO THAT THEY CAN ACTUALLY REALISTICALLY ENERGIZE.
ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? OKAY, MAYBE I'LL TAKE THAT ONE AS WELL.
SO ON, ON THE, UH, ON THE JANUARY 28TH, UM, WHAT, WHY DO WE PICK THAT DATE? SO, SO I'LL GO BACK TO WHAT I SAID AT THE BEGINNING.
SO, SO WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE STUDY PROCESS TODAY, YOU, UM, YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE STUDYING BASED ON WHAT YOU KNOW AT THE TIME, BUT BY THE TIME YOU COMPLETE THAT STUDY, YOU, UM, IT, IT, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT, THAT THE ASSUMPTIONS HAVE CHANGED BECAUSE THERE'S OTHER LOADS THAT HAVE MET, MET THEIR COMMITMENT REQUIREMENTS.
AND, AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE, WE NO LONGER HAVE A VALID STUDY WHERE WE CAN SAY, WE, WE, WE CAN RELIABLY CONNECT THIS LOAD.
AND SO WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE LOADS TODAY THAT THINK THAT THEY ARE DONE, DONE WITH THE STUDY PROCESS, UM, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY NOT DONE BECAUSE THEY WILL NEED TO BE RESTUDIED, UH, BE BECAUSE THE, THE STUDY ASSUMPTIONS ARE NO LONGER VALID.
SO IF, IF WE WERE TO EXTEND THAT JANUARY 20TH DA DATE OUT INTO THE FUTURE, YOU, YOU MAY HAVE A LOT OF LOADS THAT WANT TO HURRY UP AND THEY'RE GONNA SIGN THEIR AGREEMENTS BECAUSE THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY WANT TO BE IN THAT.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS IF WE HAVE A WHOLE, WHOLE BUNCH OF LOADS THAT DO THAT, NOW WE, WE HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUDIES THAT ARE NO LONGER VALID AND WE DON'T KNOW THAT WE CAN RELIABLY CONNECT THOSE LOADS TO THE GRID.
AND SO WE, WE NEED TO DO SOME SORT OF S STUDY.
AND SO THAT'S WHERE THIS ABOUT ZERO COMES IN.
IT IS, UH, ONE STUDY TO RULE THEM ALL WHERE WE WILL DO WHAT? ONE, ONE STUDY, ONE ONE FINAL RE STUDY FOR ALL OF THOSE LOADS THAT ARE IN THAT, I, I'M ALMO, I, I THINK I'M ALMOST ACROSS THE LINE, OR I THINK I'M COMING UP TO THAT LINE, UH, BE BECAUSE WE'VE, AGAIN, THERE IS THAT UNCERTAINTY FOR THOSE LOADS TODAY WHERE PROJECTS THAT THEY THINK THAT THEY'VE DONE ALL THE STUDIES, BUT WE'RE ABOUT TO TELL THEM THAT NOW, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY IT'S ANOTHER NEIGHBOR CONNECTED AND SO NOW YOU'VE GOTTA GO BACK AND, AND DO A RE STUDY.
SO I, I DON'T THINK JUST MOVING THE DATE IS GOING TO SOLVE THAT BE BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE STILL STUCK IN THIS, THAT STUDY'S NO LONGER VALID AND NOW WE'VE GOTTA REDO THAT ANALYSIS.
SO
THAT'S GO BACK TO THE PROBLEM STATEMENT.
I SAID EARLIER THAT, THAT THAT'S THE PROBLEM, IS THAT WE APPROVE A STUDY THAT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THAT IS GOING TO RESULT IN AN APPROVAL TO ENERGIZE BECAUSE THE, THE MOMENT THAT STUDY IS DONE AND SOMETIMES BEFORE IT IS EVEN DONE, THAT STUDY IS NO LONGER VALID.
'CAUSE SOME ASSUMPTION THAT WENT INTO THAT STUDY HAS CHANGED THAT, THAT, THAT THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM TODAY.
SO HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE TIMELINE ISSUES THEN IF YOU ARE SAYING 27 LOADS WOULD BE ABLE TO ENERGIZE, BUT IF THEY'RE IN BAD ZERO THERE, THERE'S NO CHANCE.
SO PROBABLY YOU NEED TO REVISE THE TIMELINES HERE.
YEAH, I I, I APPRECIATE THAT COMMENT.
I, I DON'T, UM, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I, UM, APPRECIATED THAT FROM THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAD.
I, I THINK THAT THERE WERE LOADS THAT HAVE EXPRESSED THAT THEY THINK THAT THEY CAN MEET THAT, BUT
[02:55:01]
IF THAT'S A UNIVERSAL TRUTH, AND I, I THINK WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT THAT'S GOOD FEEDBACK.SO ONE, ONE LAST QUESTION QUICKLY.
SO IF THE LOADS ARE GOING THROUGH THE BIGGER PROCESS RIGHT NOW, PICKER ONE 15, IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO BE STEADIED ANYWAY IN BAD ZERO EIGHT.
UM, YEAH, I'LL SAY AT SOME POINT WE WILL GET TO THAT.
AGAIN, THIS IS IN PENCIL AND WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE PROPOSED DATES, I THINK UN UNTIL, UH, WE GET UM, UH, I THINK UNTIL WE MOVE TO THAT NEXT PART OF THE PROCESS WHERE WE FIRM UP, YOU KNOW, IT'S NO LONGER IN PENCIL, BUT WE WRITE IT IN INK THEN, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THAT, THAT PROCESS.
ALRIGHT, WE'RE GOING KATIE BELL.
UM, YEAH, THANKS FOR GOING OVER ALL THIS AND UM, GETTING OUT ALL OF THIS INFORMATION.
BUT, UM, MY QUESTION GOES BACK TO BERNARDO'S INITIAL QUESTIONS.
UM, THINKING ABOUT, UH, THE LOADS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED AND MAYBE ARE IN KIND OF IN A MORE OF A PURGATORY PROCESS OF KIND OF WAITING TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE IN A, IN A, IN THE STUDIES AND EFFECTIVELY IT'S LOOKING AT THE, THE BATCH PROPOSAL AS IT IS, UM, IT, IT APPEARS THAT WE'RE, THAT EFFECTIVELY BECAUSE YOU JUST MENTIONED THAT THE, THE LOADS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN STUDIED EFFECTIVELY HAVE BEEN DETERMINED TO BE LATER ENERGIZATION DATES JUST DUE TO THE FACT THAT THERE'S BEEN AN INUNDATION OF, OF LOADS.
UM, AND EFFECTIVELY BEATING THESE DIFFERENT AREAS OF, OR JUST EX YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S NO INITIAL, THERE'S NO CAPACITY.
THERE HAS TO BE NEW PROJECTS, ET CETERA.
UM, I WANNA GO TO SLIDE 16 AGAIN WHERE ONE OF THE FOOTNOTES, UM, BASICALLY WAS SAYING THAT IF, IF YOU AREN'T IN THIS INITIAL BATCH ZERO PROPOSAL BASED ON IT'S LAID OUT, THERE'S POTENTIALLY A NEED TO RESUBMIT, UM, YOUR LOAD STUDY, UM, FOR BATCH ONE.
AND SO AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE LOAD STUDIES THAT HAVE NO VISIBILITY INTO WHERE YOU ARE IN THE, THE BATCH ZERO PROCESS AND BASED OFF OF THE DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE, IT MAY BE A, A BATCH ONE SCENARIO.
IF THESE LOADS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED FOR QUITE SOME TIME, LET'S SAY OVER 18 MONTHS, AND YOU'RE STILL WAITING TO KIND OF EVEN GET VISIBILITY INTO ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER, HOW, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING TO RESUBMIT? 'CAUSE IF AS EFFECTIVELY IF YOU JUST READ THE STATEMENT, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S COULD EFFECTIVELY BE A, A RANDOMIZED ORDER.
AND SO I THINK IT'S AT LEAST KIND OF RECOGNIZING THE POTENTIAL WAYS THAT DIFFERENT TSPS STUDY LARGE LOADS AND HOW THEY KIND OF WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
IT, THERE DOES NEED TO BE SOME FORM OF TRANSPARENCY OR BALANCE OF, OF HOW, HOW TSPS APPROACH NEW LOADS AND AGAIN, FACTORING IN THAT SOME MAY NOT BE STUDIED VERSUS OTHERS HAVE, AND HOW YOU CAN ENSURE THAT THERE IS SOME ORDER OR STILL SOME MEASURE OF A QUEUE PROCESS, UM, AS WE PROGRESS BE BEYOND FROM STARTING IN BATCH ZERO AND BEYOND.
YEAH, AND I, I THINK THAT WE ARE, UM, GO BACK TO WHAT WE SAID EARLIER ABOUT THE SCREENING STUDY.
I THINK WE'RE OPEN TO, UH, I THINK THERE'S OPTIONS THERE.
SO WE ARE OPEN TO AN OPTION IN WHICH THE ERCOT PROTOCOLS AND PLANNING GUIDE SPELL OUT A PROCESS THAT, UH, THE TSPS NEED TO FOLLOW FOR THAT.
UH, WE ARE ALSO OPEN TO NOT, NOT CODIFYING THAT WITHIN ERCOT PROTOCOLS.
UM, SO I THINK WE'RE OPEN TO CUSTOMER AND I MEAN ALL STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK ON WHAT, WHAT THAT SHOULD LOOK LIKE.
DID I, DID I ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? I THINK SO.
I THINK IT, I THINK IT IS A COMMENT AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S IMPORTANT FEEDBACK AS WE KIND OF LOOK FORWARD IN, INTO THAT TRANSPARENCY OF HOW ALL THESE LOAD REQUESTS AND HOW THE QUEUES CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, BACKLOGGED TO DATE IN THAT THERE IS SOME ORDER AND RIGOR APPLIED.
UM, AND THAT RESUBMISSION ISN'T NECESSARILY THE, THE NEXT STEP.
IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF STILL GOING BACK AND ENSURING THAT THOSE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SOME TIME ARE EFFECTIVELY CONTINUALLY,
[03:00:01]
YOU KNOW, GOING TO BE PRIORITIZED BECAUSE OF JUST THE CHALLENGES THAT IT, IT RELATES TO DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS AND MILESTONES THAT ARE EFFECTIVELY OUTSIDE OF THE, THE STUDY PROCESS.THANK YOU FOR HOSTING THIS GREAT REUNION FOR ME.
I'M NED ROSS WITH SANDEL LAKES RANCH.
WE ARE A 33,000 ACRE DEVELOPMENT LESS THAN AN HOUR FROM HERE TO THE EAST NORTHEAST.
SOME OF YOU KNOW IT AS ALCOA AND A COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT.
WE ARE NOW DEVELOPING A 1200 MEGAWATT CCGT.
UH, IT'S BEEN IN THE PROCESS FOR A FEW YEARS AND AS WELL UNDERWAY WE HAVE AIR PERMIT WE ARE CONSTRUCTING, UH, YOU MIGHT IMAGINE WE HAD A TOUCH OF INTEREST FROM THE LARGE LOAD CROWD AFTER THEY LEARNED WE HAD THIS PLANT BEING BUILT.
SO HERE WE ARE, WE HAVE TWO PROCESS ELEMENTS THAT GOT OUR ATTENTION.
ONE, UH, THE DELAYED FINANCIAL COMMITMENT UNTIL AFTER BATCH ZERO IS ALREADY DETERMINED.
IT SEEMS THAT ONE WAY TO WEED OUT THE WEAK PROJECTS IS TO CLEAN UP THE QUEUE AND TO REQUIRE A DEFINITIVE SHOWING OF FUNDS UPFRONT.
ERCOT ALSO NEEDS TO IMPOSE ADDITIONAL CRITERIA THAT ENSURE THE PROJECTS ARE ACTUALLY READY TO MEET ITS REQUESTED IN SERVICE DATE AND THAT THOSE PROJECTS ARE VIABLE.
UH, IN THE WORDS OF A FINANCIAL GURU I TALKED TO, ANYONE CAN BUILD A BOX.
NUMBER TWO, INSTEAD OF ELEVATING PROJECTS THAT ARE BRING YOUR OWN GENERATION, I'M INTERPRETING ERCOT PLAN TO IGNORE THOSE MEGAWATTS, OUR CCGT IN THIS CASE AND FOCUS ONLY ON THE LOAD.
BUT THIS PROCESS ASSUMES THAT THE NEW GENERATION DOESN'T REQUIRE SYNCHRONIZED OFF-TAKERS OR PPAS.
THERE ARE NO MERCHANT PLANTS BEING BUILT IN ERCOT THAT I'M AWARE OF.
SO THIS PROCESS MUST BE SYNCHRONIZED TO AVOID POTENTIAL FINANCIAL STRESS.
ERCOT HAS NOTIFIED US THAT THIS CCGT IS NEEDED FOR ITS STABILITY ISSUES.
SO MY QUESTION IS THIS, CAN ERCOT RECONSIDER THESE TWO KEY ELEMENTS FOR PRIORITIZATION AND SIMPLIFICATION OF THE PROCESS SO THAT THE PUBLIC POLICY GOALS OF PROVING VIABILITY AND COMPLYING WITH SENATE BILL SIX IS FULFILLED AND BRING YOUR OWN GENERATION MOVES TO THE TOP OF THE HEAP? THANK YOU.
YEAH, APPRECIATE THE COMMENTS.
SO, UM, SO ON ON THE, THE SENATE BILL SIX AND THE FINANCIAL SECURITY, UH, THAT, THAT IS OUR INTENTION IS, IS TO MEET THOSE REQUIREMENTS FOR BATCH ZERO B.
UH, THE, THE, THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE WITH IMPLEMENTING THAT FOR BADGE ZERO A IS THAT THE, THOSE RULES ARE NOT COMPLETE YET.
UH, AND IF WE WERE TO HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THOSE RULES ARE COMPLETED, IT WOULD DELAY THE START OF BATCH ZERO B.
SO, SO THE WAY THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THAT IS, UH, IT, IT'S SORT OF A, A FREE PASS TO GET INTO ZERO A FOR, FOR THE, THE LOADS THAT ARE IN THERE.
BUT COMING OUT OF ZERO A TO TO BE CONSIDERED FIRM AS, AS WE'VE DESCRIBED, WHAT AS AG HAS DESCRIBED, WHAT FIRM MEANS IN THIS CONTEXT TO TO BE FIRM FOR ZERO B AND BEYOND, THEY, THEY WILL HAVE TO MEET THOSE SENATE BILL SIX FINANCIAL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS AS LAID OUT IN 58 4 81 RULE.
AND THEN THE, THE CO-LOCATED GENERATION, UM, I, I, I THINK THAT WE WILL ADDRESS THAT.
BUT, UM, I WANNA HOLD THAT UNTIL LATER IN THE PRESENTATION 'CAUSE WE, WE'VE GOT SOME MORE DETAILS AROUND, AROUND THAT.
BUT, BUT THERE IS SOME CONSIDERATION FOR THAT, UH, IN, IN THE, UH, IN THE BATCH CONSTRUCT.
BRANDON, IF YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND STATE YOUR QUESTION.
HI, SAM BRANDON WITH AG AGENTIC INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, STAYING FOCUSED ON THE THE ZERO B TOPIC.
UM, WE'RE CURIOUS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE, THE STEADY STATE SUBMISSION BY 11 BY 1 28 26 WAS DETERMINED.
KIND OF FOLLOWING UP FROM PREVIOUS COMMENTS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME LOADS THAT HAVE, YOU KNOW, SUBMITTED THE FULL CRITERIA FOR APPLICATIONS IN 2024 AND HAVE YET TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY PROPOSED A FULL SCOPE.
AND I KNOW THAT SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS WERE SUBMITTED TO ERCOT ON, UH, JANUARY 27TH, 2026.
SO GIVEN THAT, UH, 5 8 4 8 1 IS EXPECTED TO BE A, A, UM, HIGHER BURDEN OBLIGATION, WHICH COULD THEORETICALLY THIN THE PARTICIPATION A BIT, I'M CURIOUS WHY THE STEADY STATE STUDY IS BEING USED INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING AN LLI
[03:05:01]
NUMBER.UM, BECAUSE FROM COMMENTS PREVIOUSLY, IT SOUNDS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S KIND OF THIS HAND WAVE A CONCEPT OF, OH, THESE LOWS CAN'T BE SERVED, SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE EXCLUDED FROM ZERO B.
WHILE IF YOU ARE IN THE BATCH PROCESS, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE EXCEPTIONAL CLARITY THAT YOUR FULL SCOPE OF YOUR STUDY WILL BE SERVED OVER A 60 OR FIVE YEAR TIMELINE.
SO, AND LASTLY, I'LL SAY THAT FOR SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO GET A PROCESS KICKED OFF, YOU KNOW, THE ACTUAL INTERCONNECTION FACILITIES ARE COMPLETELY TRIVIAL TO BUILD AND ULTIMATELY, UH, EXECUTE.
AND, UH, SO, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THOSE PROJECTS ARE, ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE 2028 CODS, I'M JUST CURIOUS WHY IT'S STEADY STATE VERSUS AN LLI OR, OR A PROJECT SUBMITTED TO ERCOT.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK JEFF HAS ALREADY, UH, ADDRESSED THE REASONING BEHIND THE JANUARY 28TH CUTOFF DATE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THE, THE RISK THAT IF THAT WERE EXTENDED, THAT AS ADDITIONAL PROJECTS WERE TO MEET MILESTONES AHEAD OF A, A DEADLINE IN THE FUTURE, IT WOULD INVALIDATE THE EXISTING LLI STUDIES FOR, UM, LOADS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONSIDERING FIRM UNDER THE, THE DRAFT CRITERIA WE PRESENTED TODAY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY WITH CERTAINTY THAT ALL THE LOAD IN THE, THE FIRM CATEGORY COULD BE RELIABLY SERVED.
SO, UM, TO THE SECOND PART OF YOUR QUESTION, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE, THE CONSISTENT THEMES WE HEAR FROM STAKEHOLDERS, ESPECIALLY THROUGH, UH, VENUES LIKE THE LARGE LOAD WORKING GROUP, IS THAT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF SPECULATIVE LOAD PROJECTS THAT ARE OUT THERE.
UM, AND THAT THE NUMBERS THAT WE PRESENT IN OUR INTERCONNECTION QUEUE ARE UNREALISTIC.
AND IN FACT THAT WE HAVE, I THINK APPROXIMATELY 140 GIGAWATTS OF LOAD THAT HAS NO STUDY SUBMITTED, BUT DOES HAVE AN LLI NUMBER.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THE INTERIM PROCESS THAT HAS EXISTED FROM MARCH OF 2022 AND THE FORMAL PROCESS THAT WAS CODIFIED, UH, IN SECTION NINE OF THE PLANNING GUIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DID NOT FEEL THAT SIMPLY HAVING AN LLI NUMBER WAS A DEMONSTRATION THAT THE, THE PROJECT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR LACK OF A BETTER TERM REAL AND LIKELY TO MOVE FORWARD.
IN FACT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 140 GIGAWATTS OF LOAD THAT SIMPLY HAS AN LLI NUMBER, BUT HAS NOT REALLY EVEN STARTED THE STUDY PROCESS.
YEAH, AND I, SORRY, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT.
I MEAN, THESE PROJECTS, SOME OF THESE PROJECTS WERE SUBMITTED IN 2024 AND THE UTILITY HAS COLLECTED MATERIAL FINANCIAL SECURITY FOR THESE PROJECTS.
SO I THINK THAT IF ANYTHING, THEY'RE ABOVE A CERTAIN THRESHOLD OF CREDIBILITY.
UM, AND YEAH, IT'S JUST HARD TO SEE WHAT SORT OF, I GUESS, EXPECTATION OR RECOURSE DEVELOPERS SHOULD EXPECT IF THEY, THEY SATISFIED EVERY OBLIGATION THEY SHOULD HAVE AS THE, AS THE CUSTOMER.
AND IT WAS A DECISION BY A-T-A-T-D-A-T-S-P.
IF I COULD JUST ADD, ADD A LITTLE BIT.
SO GO BACK TO THE PROBLEM STATEMENT.
REMEMBER THE, THE ISSUE IS YOU'VE GOT LOADS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH AND HAVE A STUDY, AND NOW THAT STUDY IS POTENTIALLY INVALIDATED BY CHANGING IN SOME ASSUMPTIONS.
UM, SO I WAS, I WAS KIND OF JOKING EARLIER, BUT IT, IT'S, IT MAY BE A GOOD WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT, IS WE, WE NEED, FOR THOSE PROJECTS, WE, WE NEED TO GET THEM OUT OF THAT LOOP AND WE NEED, AGAIN, ONE, ONE STUDY TO RULE THEM ALL SO THAT WE WE'RE NOT CAUGHT IN THIS.
YOU KNOW, I, I THINK I'M ABOUT DONE WITH MY STUDIES, BUT NOW I, I HAVE TO GO BACK AND I HAVE TO REST STUDY AGAIN FOR PROJECTS THAT JUST HAVE LLI NUMBERS THAT THEY'RE NOT EVEN TO THAT POINT YET WHERE THEY HAVE A STUDY THAT IS NOW AT RISK OF BEING INVALIDATED.
SO IT, IT, THE PURPOSE OF BADGE ZERO IS TO, IS TO DO THIS TRANSITION TO, UH, GET THOSE PROJECTS, GET, GET THEM UNSTUCK SO THAT ALL, ALL THOSE OTHER PROJECTS THAT JUST HAVE LLI NUMBERS THAT, THAT DON'T HAVE STUDIES EVEN EVEN DONE YET CAN, COULD GET THEM SO THAT THEY THEN CAN GET TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE AND, AND THEY CAN PROCESS.
SO, SO WE THINK OVERALL THAT FOR THE MAJORITY OF PROJECTS, THIS IS GOING TO BE A FASTER PROCESS THAN IF WE WERE TO, YOU KNOW, JUST STICK WITH THE EXISTING PROCESS.
THIS IS SATISH FROM, UH, REDON.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THE STABILITY SCREENING FACTOR TWO ANALYSIS AND QSA ARE TIED TOGETHER? FOR EXAMPLE,
[03:10:01]
IF STABILITY SCREENING SHOWS AN ISSUE, BUT THE FULL FACTOR TWO ANALYSIS DOESN'T, DOES ALLOCATION THAT LOAD ALLOCATION GET REVISED UP FORWARD FOR THE, WOULD THE QSA RESULTS BE UTILIZED FOR REFINING THE LOAD LIMITS IN ANY WAY? THIS FREE FORM FROM AMERICA? I THINK WE CAN, I THINK WE HAVE SIMILAR QUESTIONS WE REGARD THIS MORNING.SO WE WILL PROVIDE MORE DETAILS, UH, IN THE NEXT UPDATE.
BUT I THINK AT HIGH LEVEL, I THINK THE CURRENT CONCEPTUALLY IS THE APPROVED MEGAWATT OUT OF THE PAGE, INCLUDING
BUT THAT'S KIND OF CONCEPTUAL.
UH, FOR NOW WE, WE GOT QUESTIONS WE WILL GO BACK TO THINK THROUGH IN MORE DETAILS.
JUST TO HAVE ONE MORE FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
IF RULE 5 8 4 8 1 ISN'T FINALIZED BY SUMMER 2026, DOES BATCH ZERO B PROCEED WITH ASSUMPTIONS OR GET DELAYED? YEAH, SO THIS JEFF, SO YEAH, I, I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IS, UM, DEFINITELY A POSSIBILITY.
UH, I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT.
UM, AND I, I THINK I DON'T HAVE A, AN, UM, SPECIFIC ANSWER FOR HOW WE WOULD ADDRESS THAT SITUATION, BUT, UM, THAT, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE THINKING ABOUT.
NEXT UP IS JAMESON NUNNY? YEAH.
UH, THANK YOU ALL JEFF AND AG AND EVERYONE.
INCREDIBLE WORK UNDER THE TIMELINE.
I KNOW IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MP EVERYONE HERE, BUT OUR QUESTION IS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF CLARIFICATION ON ZERO A.
UM, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME, THERE'S PROJECTS THAT WILL BE FULLY APPROVED UNDER NINE FOUR OR NINE FIVE OF THE PLANNING GUIDE BASICALLY BEFORE THIS GOES INTO EFFECT ON TWO 20.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, STABILITY, LET'S SAY IS APPROVED YESTERDAY AND THERE'S NO OTHER LOADS REQUIRED IN AN LCP FOR THAT ONE.
UM, YOU KNOW, BOTH ERCOT AND THE TSPS, WE'VE ALL BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS ON THESE AND INCLUDING IN THIS EXISTING MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WHICH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT IT TO BE CONSIDERED THROWAWAY WORK, BUT IF WE HAVE A STABILITY THAT'S APPROVED YESTERDAY, I UNDERSTAND PUTTING A RETROACTIVE CUTOFF DATE OF JAN 28 FOR NEW SUBMISSIONS AND STEADY STATES BEING APPROVED.
SO THERE'S NOT A MAD DASH AND WE HAVE TO RESTUDY.
BUT I GUESS I'M CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, IF WE'VE, WE'VE POSTED FINANCIAL SECURITY ON A KAYAK, UH, WE, WE HAVE NO TRANSMISSION UPGRADES ON A SPECIFIC STUDY.
FAS ARE SIGNED, ENGINEERING'S UNDERWAY, AND WE FULLY ARE, YOU KNOW, SATISFYING NINE FOUR AND NINE FIVE UNDER THE EXISTING FRAMEWORK BEFORE THIS NEW ONE IS GOING LIVE.
UH, I GUESS OUR HUMBLE REQUEST IS TO CONSIDER, UH, THESE TYPES OF CASES, UM, AND GIVEN THAT THEY WON'T IMPACT OTHER LOADS FOR RESTUDY.
I'VE ALSO INCLUDED A LINK KIND OF WITH THAT EXAMPLE BELOW.
THANKS FOR THE COMMENT, JAMESON.
UH, WILLIAM SHANNON, HERE WE GO.
OH, UH, WILLIAM SHANNON SKYBOX DATA CENTERS.
UM, OUR QUESTION IS AROUND THE ENERGIZATION DATE TO BE CONSIDERED AS PART OF, UH, THIS BATCH EURO, UM, GROUP A.
AND SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE SCREEN IT'S, UH, JUNE 30TH, 2027.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PROJECTS IN VARIOUS STAGES, BUT JUST TO DELIVER A PROJECT THAT'S GONNA OFFTAKE THE AMOUNT OF, YOU KNOW, THESE REALLY LARGE LOADS TAKES, YOU KNOW, TWO YEARS, UM, EVEN IF YOU'RE IN ADVANCED STAGES OF PLANNING TODAY, AND IF YOU GO FORWARD A COUPLE OF SLIDES TO 18, UH, YOU CAN SEE THE SECOND CATEGORY HERE.
YOU'VE GOT EIGHT OR 17.4 GIGAWATTS OF PROJECTS WITH LOAD REQUESTS IN TO TAKE, UH, ENERGY IN, UH, 2027.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE YOU'RE GONNA DELIVER THAT AMOUNT OF PROJECTS IN A YEAR TO TAKE THAT AMOUNT OF LOAD.
AND THE NEXT CATEGORY IS ACTUALLY, UH, WHAT YOU MAY CONSIDER A MORE BAKED ONE, UH, GROUPS WITH LARGE LOAD REQUESTS IN ALL OF THEIR STUDIES COMPLETED.
THAT'S JUST FOUR AND A HALF GIGS.
AND, UM, I GUESS OUR QUESTIONS AROUND IS WOULD THERE BE ANY CONSIDERATION FOR THE, UM, BATCH ZERO GROUP A TO PUSH THE ENERGIZATION DATE OUT? BECAUSE IT, IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REAL PROJECTS THAT I THINK IN THAT FOUR AND A HALF CATEGORY, A LOT OF THOSE WOULD BE 28 TAKERS AND, UH, THEY'RE BEING DISQUALIFIED SOLELY ON THAT CRITERIA AND, UH, IT JUST AS A MATTER OF
[03:15:01]
FACT TAKES A COUPLE OF YEARS TO DELIVER PROJECTS AT THIS SCALE.SO, UM, MAYBE I COULD ASK A, A CLARIFYING QUESTION.
UM, SO ARE, ARE YOU ASKING IF THERE WOULD BE CONSIDERATION FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO ALLOW PROJECTS THAT WE WERE CONS WE ARE PENCILING IN AS FIRM FOR ZERO A TO STINT AND SORT OF SELF REMOVE? IS THAT THE, THE QUESTION? OH, NO, THE QUESTION WOULD BE IF THAT, UH, JUNE 27 IS A HARD DATE TO BE CONSIDERED IN BATCH ZERO A OR IF JUST WITH THE REALITY IT'S GONNA TAKE A COUPLE YEARS AFTER AN APPROVAL TO DELIVER IT, YOU WOULD PUSH THE, UM, THAT DATE OUT TO 2028.
YEAH, I THINK SOMETHING THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I'D EMPHASIZE AGAIN THAT THE, THE GOAL OF ZERO A IS REALLY TRYING TO CAPTURE LOADS THAT ARE ALREADY KIND OF MOVING TOWARDS THOSE ENERGIZATION DATES, GIVING THEM CLARITY AND ALLOWING THEM TO MAKE DECISIONS.
UM, THE MORE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY THAT WOULD ADDRESS THOSE FURTHER OUT YEARS IS INTENDED TO BE, UH, BATCH ZERO B AND, UM, YOU KNOW, COULD POTENTIALLY CAPTURE THAT.
I GUESS JUST ONE MORE CLARIFYING POINT.
SO FOR THE, YOU KNOW, 17 AND A HALF GIGS, UH, WITH ENERGY ENERGIZATION A YEAR OUT, IS THERE ANY CONCERN AS YOU PROCESS THOSE AS PART OF BATCH ZERO AS PROPOSED, THAT MANY OF THOSE WOULD STRUGGLE EVEN WITH AN APPROVAL TO ACTUALLY DELIVER ON, YOU KNOW, BUILDING A FACILITY THAT COULD, UM, TAKE THE ELECTRICITY AND UH, SUPPORT KIND OF GRID BALANCE? YEAH, I THINK, UM, A LOT OF THESE LINES ARE, ARE DRAWN WITH THE BEST INFORMATION THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT FOR, UM, LOADS THAT WERE EXEMPT FROM THE INTERIM LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS, SO THAT, THAT SECOND ROW THERE, UM, WITH THE 17 GIGAWATTS, UH, THOSE LOADS HAD TO HAVE BEEN REQUESTED FOR INTERCONNECTION AND INCLUDED IN TSP SUBMISSIONS AT LEAST TWO YEARS AHEAD OF WHERE THEY WANTED TO ENERGIZE IN ORDER TO AVOID THE INTERIM LARGE LOAD PROCESS.
SO IN GENERAL, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT OUR EXPECTATION THAT THESE WOULD BE LOADS THAT WERE, YOU KNOW, INCLUDED IN RPG SUBMISSION A MONTH OR TWO AGO.
IT'S REALLY, UH, LOADS THAT WERE, WERE SUBMITTED FURTHER IN THE PAST.
YOU'VE GOTTEN A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF GOOD QUESTIONS.
UM, I'VE GOT ONE THAT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
SO IF YOU, YOU CAN PROBABLY LOOK AT, UH, EITHER SLIDE SLIDE 16 OR EVEN SLIDE, UH, 26, THAT MIGHT BE THE ONE THAT'S ACTUALLY MOST HELPFUL.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S NOT CONTEMPLATED IN, IN THIS TIMELINE IS FOR LARGE LOADS THAT ARE CO-LOCATING WITH THE EXISTING GENERATION THAT'LL BE GOING THROUGH THE, THE NET METERING ARRANGEMENT NOTICE PROCESS IN P 39 1 6 9.
AND THAT IN, IN STATUTE REQUIRES OUR CUT TO COMPLETE THEIR TRANSMISSION SECURITY ASSESSMENT WITHIN 120 DAYS OF RECEIVING THE INFORMATION THEY NEED.
UM, SO IN SOME CASES ERUPT MAY ALREADY HAVE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, IN WHICH CASE, YOU KNOW, IT, I'M STRUGGLING TO SEE HOW THAT WOULD FIT INTO, UH, THESE TIMELINES.
AND THERE MAY MAY BE SOME WHERE THE STUDIES HAVEN'T BEEN DONE, BUT YOU KNOW, THEY'LL STILL HAVE TO BE PROCESSED WITHIN, UH, WITHIN 120 DAYS UNDER THAT TIMELINE.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE THERE NEEDS TO BE EITHER SOME CONTEMPLATION OF THAT IN THE, THE GENERAL BATCH TIMING OR A DIFFERENT PATH FOR THOSE SO THAT THEY DON'T GET TRIPPED UP IN THE, IN THE BROADER BATCH.
MR. NED, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA HAVE TO ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION TO YOU TOO.
UM, ARE YOU, I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO, HOW TO PHRASE THIS.
UM, IS, IS YOUR QUESTION REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE WE CONSIDERED HOW, UM, THE NET METERING ROOM, UH, REQUIREMENTS FIT INTO THIS? OR ARE YOU, UM, MORE ASKING, UH, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE REALLY THAT THAT REVIEW IS THE, UM, AND CHRISTINA, I MAY HAVE TO, I MAY HAVE TO PHONE A FRIEND HERE FOR, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE, UM, COMPLETION OF THE INTERCONNECTION STUDIES IS A PREREQUISITE TO THAT 120 DAY CLOCK.
SO I JUST, AND CHRISTINA, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M INCORRECT THERE.
CHRISTINA SWITZER OR CO SENIOR REGULATORY COUNCIL THAT THAT'S CORRECT.
IT, THE 120 DAY STATUTORY CLOCK DOES NOT START UNTIL ALL OF THE STUDIES ARE DONE.
SO I, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD, WE NEED TO
[03:20:01]
GET THROUGH A BATCH BEFORE WE COULD SAY THAT WE HAVE ALL THE STUDIES NEEDED TO DO THE NET METERING REVIEW UNDER SB SIX.SO TO PICK A POINT THOUGH, ON SEMANTICS, ERCOT WILL NOT RECEIVE THE BATCH STUDIES FROM ITSELF AND WILL NOT SUBMIT THE BATCH STUDIES TO ITSELF.
WE, I MEAN, WE WOULD HAVE THE INFORMATION NECESSARY.
BUTTER KOTT WOULD NOT SUBMIT TO ITSELF.
THAT ANSWERS EVERYTHING I NEED.
HERMAL, SHOULD I SAY THE NAME RIGHT? HERMAL AK? YES, IT'S AL FROM PPE.
I HAVE A QUESTION RELATED TO STABILITY SCREENING FOR THESE BATCH ZERO STUDIES.
IS ERCOT GOING AHEAD WITH USING CMLD MODELS FOR ALL THESE LARGE LOADS OR THE NEW PER MODELS FOR THESE LARGE LOADS? AND WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THE DYNAMIC LOAD MODELS THAT ARE SUBMITTED FOR THESE LOADS AND THAT ZERO STUDIES ARE NOT FULFILLING THE VRT OR MQT REQUIREMENTS, UH, THIS RED FORM FROM AMERICA? AGAIN, UM, FOR THE PAGE PROCESS, WE DO EXPECT NEED TO HAVE THE DYNAMIC MODEL AND, UH, LOAD OF SURVEY INFORMATION AS JEFF MENTIONED THIS MORNING, UH, FOR THE STABILITY SCREENING PROCESS, BECAUSE THE VERY SHORTER TIMEFRAME, WE ARE STILL WORKING ON THE OPTIONS WHERE WE STILL CAN PROVIDE A REASONABLE SCREENING RESULT.
AS JEFF POINTED OUT, UH, WITH POTENTIALLY, UH, HOW WE CAN HAVE A PROCESS.
WE ALLOW THE SCREENING PROCESS REQUIRE DETAILED MODELS TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE SCREENING PROCESS.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE, I WOULD SAY STILL WORKING ON RIGHT NOW.
UH, I HOPE WE WILL HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION PROVIDED TO YOU, BUT WE DO SEE, WE DO NEED THE MODEL AS PART OF REQUIREMENT TO BE IN A, IN A PAGE PROCESS BECAUSE WE ARE GOING TO DO THE EFFECT TWO VERY QUICKLY.
AND, AND JUST TO, UM, CLARIFY, SO ZERO A DOES NOT HAVE A STABILITY SCREENING COMPONENT TO IT.
UH, SO THE, THE TSP WILL NEED TO, UH, COMPLETE THE STABILITY STUDY FOR THOSE PROJECTS, UH, IN, IN THIS SORT OF SHORT TIME PERIOD.
I BELIEVE WE COVERED SLIDE 27 AS WELL, SO I THINK WE CAN ASK QUESTION ON THAT.
UM, FOR BATCH TWO, UH, SO WHAT HAPPENS, WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT WILL BE APPLIED DURING THE CASE BILL PERIOD OF BATCH TWO? IN RESPECT TO BATCH ONE, BECAUSE MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE BATCH TWO OR EVEN BATCH THREE, YOU KNOW, WILL INCLUDE ALL OF THE LOADS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN BATCH ONE AND PLUS MORE THAT WHATEVER IS GONNA BE IN BATCH TWO.
SO MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT THERE WILL BE SOME TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN BATCH TWO, BUT I THINK WITH THAT RPG AND THE REVIEW PERIOD, I, I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT BATCH TWO WILL GO IF NONE OF, IF YOU KNOW, NONE OR FEW, ONLY FEW OF THE PROJECTS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THAT BATCH TWO CASE BILL PROCESS.
HEY SAM, THIS IS AG UH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA ADDRESS THAT IN MORE DETAIL A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE SLIDE DECK.
I THINK, UH, WHEN JEFF COMES BACK UP, WE'LL HAVE A, A MORE DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THAT.
CAN WE GO TO 16 PLEASE? ON, UH, 16 IT TALKS ABOUT, YEAH, SO, UM, HAVE YOU GONE THROUGH, AS A PART OF THIS PROCESS, AND I BELIEVE I BROUGHT IT UP EARLIER, IF, UH, FOLKS HAVE NOT PURCHASED BREAKERS IN ADVANCE, THERE'S NO WAY THEY'RE GONNA MAKE 27 NOW ON A, ON A 3 45 TV INSTALL.
SO HAVE YOU DONE ANY SCREENING ON THESE ONES THAT ARE IN THIS, UH, ZERO A PROCESS TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE ON PURCHASING MATERIALS OR IF THE, IF THE, UH, TSP EVEN HAS THE ABILITY TO, UH, TO GET THIS INSTALLED IN THE TIMELINE THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT? UM, AND THE REASON I SAY THIS IS WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT, AND I THINK I MENTIONED THIS MAYBE BRIEFLY AT MY, UH, EMAIL THAT I SENT.
WE HAD ONE THAT WE SUBMITTED, YOU KNOW, 28 IN SERVICE DATE BECAUSE WE KNEW LAST YEAR THAT WE COULD MAKE 27.
WE COULDN'T GET BREAKUP ON TIME FOR THAT, SO WE DELAYED THE 28.
AND NOW IT'S LOOKING LIKE THAT'S REALLY COST US BECAUSE WE'VE GOTTEN THE STEADY STATE STUDIES APPROVED AND THE DYNAMICS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED,
[03:25:01]
BUT INSTEAD OF BEING A PART OF THIS ZERO A, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA GET CAUGHT UP IN ZERO B.AND THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, IS THE RESULTS THAT WE GOT ON OUR STEADY STATE STUDY SHOWED THE NEED FOR TRANSMISSION BUILDS AND WE'RE LOOKING AT BUYING THE BREAKERS TO KEEP THOSE PROJECTS ON TIME.
SO THOSE DEPENDENT PROJECTS NEED NEED 6, 3 45 KV BREAKERS AS WELL AS THE ONES THAT WE NEED TO BUY FOR THE SUBSTATION AND WE NEED TO BUY THOSE NOW.
BUT IF THIS GETS CAUGHT UP IN A BATCH STUDY PROCESS, I, I DON'T KNOW WHO I'M BUYING THOSE BREAKERS FOR BECAUSE I THINK IT'S JUST KIND OF THROWN INTO THE POOL.
UH, SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOT DONE ANY, UH, WE DO NOT HAVE THE INFORMATION CURRENTLY TO KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE WHO HAS HAS PURCHASED EQUIPMENT, UM, AND, UH, AT THIS TIME WE HAVE NOT, UH, DONE ANY ADDITIONAL SCREENING ON THAT, THAT KIND OF AREA.
WELL, I, I DON'T FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE PENALIZED FOR BEING RESPONSIBLE, I GUESS IS MY POINT.
I MEAN, IF I WOULD'VE PUT A, UH, A 27 IN SERVICE DATE ON THAT AND BEEN BEEN UNREALISTIC LIKE A LOT OF THESE FOLKS ARE, THEN, THEN WE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT A BATCH A PROCESS AND GETTING OUR, GETTING OUR MEGAWATTS SECURED.
BUT, BUT SINCE WE'RE NOT A PART OF THAT, I DIDN'T PUT A 27 OR 28 IN THERE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE RESPONSIBLE AND NOW WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING PENALIZED FOR THAT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, IT CERTAINLY HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'LL, I'LL EMPHASIZE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH THE CURRENT PROCESS AND THE INFORMATION THAT'S COLLECTED THROUGH IT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD TO UTILIZE THE INFORMATION THAT ERCOT HAS AT ITS DISPOSAL AND, UM, RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, AS PART OF THE PROCESS THAT BOTH HAS EXISTED IN THE INTERIM SINCE 2022 AND, YOU KNOW, FORMALIZED IN PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE, UH, LATE LAST YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US AND TO, YOU KNOW, TO DETERMINE WHICH PROJECTS HAVE PROCEEDED FORWARD AND, AND WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE ENERGIZATION SCHEDULES AND REQUESTED ENERGIZATION DATES, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE PROVIDED THAT BY THE INTERCONNECTING TDSP AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE UTILIZE THAT INFORMATION THAT IS PROVIDED AS PART OF THE STANDING INTERCONNECTION PROCESS.
OKAY? I MEAN, IN A LOT OF THESE CASES, I DON'T BELIEVE THE TSP WILL BE ABLE TO GET THEIR INTERCONNECTION EQUIPMENT IN PLACE IN TIME FOR A 27 ENERGIZATION ON, ON, I THINK THE BULK OF THESE PROJECTS THAT YOU'RE PUTTING THROUGH THIS.
UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY POINT FOR THAT.
I, I, I BELIEVE THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE SOME SORT OF PROCESS WHERE YOU GO BACK AND YOU VERIFY WITH EACH OF THE TSPS THAT THESE ARE REALISTIC TIMELINES THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
AND THEN TO SAM'S UH, QUESTION EARLIER, YOU KNOW, THAT WHAT, WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT IS A PROCESS.
IT, IT, IT SOUNDED LIKE JEFF WAS KIND OF SAYING, WELL, WE'VE GOT ALL THESE OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE A LOT MORE IN, YOU KNOW, A LOT MORE ALONG, ALONG THE PATH.
WELL, THAT IS FAULT WASN'T OUR FAULT EITHER.
WE, WE SUBMITTED FOUR PROJECTS IN 24, UH, IN, IN WEST TEXAS IN ENCORE SYSTEM, AND THOSE WERE NOT MOVED THROUGH THE ERCOT PROCESS.
LIKE, LIKE OTHERS WERE IN 25, YOU SAW A LOT OF NEW LOADS COME IN, MOVED THROUGH THE ERCOT PROCESS, AND NOW THEY'RE GETTING, THEY'RE GETTING MOVED OUT THE DOOR.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE WE DID, WE DID, I'M SURE SAM DID EVERYTHING HE DID THAT HE WAS ASKED TO DO, WHICH IS WE POSTED OUR IFEA AMOUNTS, WE GOT ALL OF OUR INFORMATION IN, WE GOT OUR DYNAMIC, UH, DATA IN, WE GOT ALL THE STUFF IN, AND THEN IT WAS THE TSP THAT MAYBE DIDN'T DO WHAT OR MAYBE DIDN'T COMMUNICATE TO ENCORE OR TO ERCOT WHAT, UH, NEEDED TO KNOW TO, TO IS SECURE THESE, UH, STUDIES FOR IN, IN ERCOT PROCESS.
BUT THAT WAS NOT THE FAULT OF THE LOAD.
THAT WAS MAYBE THE FAULT OF THE TSP OR THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TSP AND ERCOT.
BUT, BUT PLEASE DON'T, YOU KNOW, HOLD THE LOAD LOCK FOR, FOR THINGS THAT THEY DID NOT.
DO YOU WANNA GO FOR A WALK? DO YOU WANNA GO FOR A WALK? THAT WAS ALL I HAD.
SO YEAH, THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE POINTS.
I MEAN, YOU'VE, YOU'VE BROUGHT IT FORWARD, BUT UNLESS THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE, I THINK THE ANSWER QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO, YEAH, THAT'S ALL I HAD.
UH, NEXT, EVAN NEIL, EVAN NEIL WITH LANCIA.
I HAVE A QUICK COMMENT AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION AND THEN I HAVE A QUESTION ON THE MATERIALS.
I'LL JUST ECHO WHAT SOME OTHER PEOPLE SAID THAT IF WE'RE USING 2027 AS A CUTOFF DATE, I THINK THAT'S LARGELY INAPPROPRIATE.
IF A LOAD DOES NOT HAVE AN APPROVAL ALREADY, THEY
[03:30:01]
CERTAINLY ARE NOT CONNECTING ON A 27 TIMELINE.UM, SO MOVING ON TO THE CLARIFICATION, HI THINK IT'S SLIDE 19.
IT'S THE, THE TABLE WITH ALL THE CRITERIA.
UM, OKAY, SO IT'S THAT THIRD ONE THERE AND I'M JUST A LITTLE CONFUSED.
I'M REALLY JUST LOOKING FOR CLARIFICATION WHEN YOU SAY EXEMPT FROM AN INTERIM LLI PROCESS AND INCLUDED IN AN RPG AND OR RTP, UM, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A LITTLE CONTRADICTORY BECAUSE THE EXEMPTION FROM THE LLI PROCESS AS IS WAS IN THE 2022 MARKET NOTICE WAS INTERCONNECTED IN GREATER THAN TWO YEARS TIMELINE AND WAS INCLUDED IN A COMPLETED ERCOT TRANSMISSION ASSESSMENT.
AND SO I'M JUST CONFUSED HOW YOU CAN BE EXEMPT BUT NOT INCLUDED IN AN RRP GRTP.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A FAIR POINT EVAN.
I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT REDUNDANT.
AND SO CAN WE JUST GET CLARITY ON WHAT THIS COLUMN MEANS HERE? DOES THAT MEAN LIKE YOU HAD TO BE IN A, COMPLETED LIKE AN EIR DONE AND ENDORSED RPG PROJECT IN ORDER TO BE EXEMPT OR AN RTP ET CETERA? YEAH, THAT IT, UM, YEAH, THAT'S THE, THE INTENT OBVIOUSLY IS THAT A LITTLE BIT.
UH, SO YEAH, IT COMPLETED UH, RPG SUBMISSION OR A RPG STUDY I SHOULD SAY, UM, OR AN RDB STU STUDY AS WELL.
BUT I THINK IN THAT CASE, IF I'M FOLLOWING RIGHT, THERE'S A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT GAP HERE ON WHAT BATCH ZERO B IS GONNA INCLUDE.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT ENTAILS WE'RE EXCLUDING A BUNCH OF LOADS THAT WERE STUDIED.
SO MAYBE THEY HAVE AN LLI AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE STUDY SUBMITS, BUT THEY WERE STUDIED IN AN RPG ASSESSMENT AND THEY HAVE SIGNED A CONTRACT AND THEY'VE PUT MONEY DOWN TO BE ABLE TO BE SUBSTANTIATED TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT RPG SUBMISSION.
BUT WHAT I'M SEEING HERE IS THAT THOSE WOULD BE NOT INCLUDED IN BATCH ZERO B AND I WOULD ARGUE THAT THOSE HAVE PROBABLY MORE RIGHT TO BE INCLUDED IN HERE THAN A LOAD THAT MAYBE JUST HAD A STEADY STATE STUDY DONE.
AND THAT'S GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, MAYBE REASSESSED.
AND I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, TO, TO JEFF'S POINT YOU SAID EARLIER, UM, YOU KNOW THAT, THAT WE REALLY WANNA FOCUS ON GETTING THOSE LOADS THAT ARE GONNA BE AFFECTED BY A RE-STUDY DUE TO A CHANGE IN PROCESS.
I MEAN, I'D ARGUE THERE'S A STRONGER ARGUMENT FOR LOADS THAT ARE GONNA HAVE THEIR CONTRACTS MODIFIED AND THAT'S GONNA HAVE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS AND ON A CHANGE OF PROCESS.
AND SO I JUST THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD CONSIDER HERE AND IT'S A, IT'S A PRETTY BIG GAP.
UM, I DO HAVE DO A QUESTION, I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT I, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, I'M NOT SURE I SEE THE GAP THAT YOU JUST POINTED OUT.
UM, SO I I I THINK THE INTENT OF THE SLIDE IS THAT LOADS THAT HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN AN RPG SUBMISSION THAT, YOU KNOW, EFFECTIVELY WERE, WERE LONG ENOUGH TERM THAT THEY DID NOT GO THROUGH THE LLI PROCESS THAT THEY WOULD BE INCLUDED, UM, ACCORDING TO THAT MIDDLE ROW THERE.
SO, UM, MAYBE I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
SO I'M, SO BASED ON WHAT WE HAD JUST SAID, IF THE LOAD WAS ON THE GREATER THAN TO YEAR TIMELINE AND WAS INCLUDED IN RPG, BUT THAT RPG HASN'T UNDERGONE ERCOT INDEPENDENT REVIEW OR BEEN ENDORSED OR WHAT I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MEANS COMPLETED IN THE INTERIM MARKET NOTICE, THEN THOSE LOADS ARE HOW I SEE IT EXCLUDED FROM ANY OF THE CRITERIA HERE.
BUT THOSE LOADS HAVE BEEN IN THE PROCESS FOR A WHILE.
THEY'VE HAD TO SIGN A CONTRACT, PUT MONEY DOWN, AND THEN THIS TRANSITION TO A PROCESS WHERE THEY'RE NOW LOOKING AT MAYBE BATCH ONE DEPENDING HOW STUFF SHAKES OUT ARE HAVING, YOU KNOW, THINGS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN MUCH MORE THAN A LOAD THAT JUST HAD A STEADY STATE THAT IS GOING TO BE REDONE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, THANKS.
AND THEN I JUST HAD ONE QUICK QUESTION.
TRY TO GO FAST IS, CAN YOU JUST ELABORATE MORE HOW THIS BATCH ZERO B EFFECTUATES RPG UPGRADES THAT WERE INCLUDED IN ALREADY APPROVED LILI LOADS WHERE THAT WAS A, A CONDITIONAL PART OF THEIR APPROVAL AND INCLUDED IN THEIR LCP? 'CAUSE I'M UNDERSTANDING THAT IT'S ONLY GONNA DO THINGS THAT DON'T NEED NEW RIGHT OF WAY, BUT I MEAN THERE'S EXISTING LOADS THAT WERE CONTRACTED AND APPROVED BASED ON A TRANSMISSION UPGRADE THAT THAT COULD NEED A NEW RIGHT OF WAY.
SO HOW IS THAT BEING RECONCILED WITH RPG? YEAH, I DON'T HAVE, UM, DETAILS ON THAT SPECIFICALLY FOR, FOR THIS, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK TO BRING BACK AT THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
ALRIGHT, AND JUST A QUICK TIME CHECK.
SO WE'RE COMING UP ON TWO O'CLOCK.
WE'VE BEEN AT THIS, UM, FOR 40 MINUTES.
AT THAT POINT WE'LL DRAW A LINE AND STOP ON QUESTION, ANSWER AND GO INTO THE REST OF THE MATERIAL FROM TWO 30 TO THREE 30.
AND THAT LEAVES US AN HOUR AT THE END FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
SO JUST TIME CHECK MICHAEL JEWEL, YOUR NEXT UP, SIR.
[03:35:01]
QUESTION ON BEHALF OF, UH, STREAM DATA CENTERS.KIND OF A FOLLOW UP ON THE DISCUSSION THAT WE WERE JUST HAVING WITH REGARD TO IF A LOAD HAS MET THE QUALIFICATION CRITERIA FOR BATCH ZERO A, UM, AND THEIR ORIGINAL REQUESTED ENERGIZATION DATE WAS 2026, FOR EXAMPLE, BUT, AND THEY'VE BEEN ALREADY BEEN STUDIED BY THE TSP, THEY ARE, UH, AND AS A RESULT OF THOSE INITIAL STUDIES AND THE, UM, THE RPG PROCESS THAT THEY'RE IN RIGHT NOW, THEIR EXPECTED ENERGIZATION DATE IS NOW LATER, UM, THAN 6 27, DO THEY GET KICKED DOWN INTO THE ZERO B OR B ONE, EVEN THOUGH THERE'S ALREADY IN THE RPG PROCESS? YEAH, I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC ANSWER FOR THAT.
I THINK THERE'S SOMETHING WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DATES THAT WE UTILIZED TO PUT TOGETHER THE NUMBERS ON THESE SLIDES, UH, WERE BASED OFF THE DATES AS THESE LOADS WERE SUBMITTED AND STUDIED IN THE LARGELY INTERCONNECTION PROCESS.
UM, SO, UH, THAT'S THE BASIS FOR THE NUMBERS WE PRESENTED TODAY, BUT I, I, I THINK WE MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SPECIFICS OF CASES LIKE THAT TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY GIVE AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT UP SHANNON CARAWAY.
YEAH, CAN WE GO TO SLIDE 16? I, I'VE GOT A, A COMMENT HERE ON THE, UH, ZERO A LOAD ALLOCATION ASSESSMENT CRITERIA, THE SECOND STATEMENT, AND IS EXPECTED TO ENERGIZE ON OR BEFORE 6 30 20 27.
I NOTICED THE WORD ENERGIZE HERE.
AND SO I THINK ABOUT LIKE ON GEN INTERCONNECTS, THERE'S TYPICALLY AN ENERGIZATION A MONTH OR SOMETHING AHEAD OF WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO COD AND I'M PRESUMING YOU PICK SIX 30 BECAUSE YOU'RE THINKING JUST OUTAGES THAT THE TSP NEEDS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO ENERGIZE.
SO MY COMMENT ON THAT IS, DOES THIS OR QUESTION, DOES IT MEAN ENERGIZE IN THAT CONTEXT SUCH THAT IF YOU'VE GOT A JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER LOAD RAMP, IT APPLIES AND MEETS YOUR CRITERIA HERE? SO LET ME PAUSE FIRST AND LET YOU ANSWER THAT.
SO, UM, THE, THE CUTOFF DATE IS DRIVEN BY THE QSA SCHEDULE.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, SORT OF WHAT IS A FEASIBLE ENERGIZATION DATE FOR LOADS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, THERE IS NOT A, UM, A MULTI-STEP ENERGIZATION PROCESS FOR LOADS THE WAY THERE IS FOR GENERATION.
UM, THERE IS A SINGLE INTER INITIAL ENERGIZATION DATE, UM, AND THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE PROTOCOLS AND AT THAT POINT THE CUSTOMER IS APPROVED TO CONSUME ENERGY UP TO WHATEVER LIMITS ARE IN THE CURRENT PROCESS, WERE ESTABLISHED, UH, BY THE LOAD INTERCONNECTION STUDY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ISN'T REALLY THE, THE KIND OF EQUIVALENT OF, YOU KNOW, SOAKING A TRANSFORMER IN THE GEN INTERCONNECT PROCESS FOR, FOR A LOAD.
IT'S REALLY THE DATE AT WHICH THE CUSTOMER IS INTENDING TO BEGIN TAKING POWER NOW THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE DATE THE CUSTOMER INTENDS TO CONSUME ITS FULL AMOUNT, BUT IT WOULD BE THE DATE THAT THEY BEGIN THEIR LOAD RAM.
AND THAT CAN BE LIKE, IF YOU HAVE A JULY 1ST ONE RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD UPDATE THAT TO SAY JUNE 30TH, IT'S A DAY AND, AND STILL QUALIFY BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE TAKING IT ACROSS THAT PERIOD AND BY VERY MUCH SO YOU NEED TO BE ENERGIZED AT THAT TIME.
SO ANYWAY, ALRIGHT, WE'LL FOLLOW UP ON THAT.
UM, I THINK I HAD A, I WAS SEEKING CLARITY ON NUMBER FIVE UNDER ZERO B, BUT I THINK WITH EVAN YOU'VE, I THINK ALREADY ANSWERED IT.
SO LET ME REPEAT WHAT I UNDERSTOOD THERE.
IF WE WERE ORIGINALLY 24 MONTHS PLUS OUT ON, FROM THE TIME WE SIGNED THE IA TO ENERGIZATION AND WE GOT INCLUDED IN AN RPG OR RTP STUDY THAT QUALIFIES FOR, UH, NUMBER FIVE UNDER FIRM, IS THAT CORRECT? SO I'LL JUST REITERATE WHAT WAS IN THE MARKET NOTICE, WHICH WAS, UM, THAT THE REQUESTED INITIAL ENERGIZATION DATE WAS MORE THAN 24 MONTHS OUT AT THE TIME THE REQUEST WAS MADE.
I'M LISTENING TO OUR CUT THING ON HERE.
AND, UH, THE LOAD HAS BEEN INCLUDED IN A COMPLETED RPG OR RTP UH, STUDY.
UH, THOSE WERE THE CRITERIA TO NOT HAVE TO SUBMIT STUDIES TO THE INTERIM, UH, LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION.
AND IS THAT A COMPLETED RPG STUDY BY THE TIME OF JUNE 1ST OR WHATEVER WHEN OR THIS KICKS OFF OR, UH, FOR B
[03:40:02]
YEAH, I DON'T, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THERE MAY BE ENOUGH OF A, UH, OVERLAP BETWEEN THE END OF THE INTERIM PROCESS AND THAT DATE TO MAKE THAT POSSIBLE, BUT I'D, I'D HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND DO THE MATH ON IT.THEN THE FINAL QUESTION ON THAT, I'VE GOT, AND IT'S HERE ON 16, IS QUARTER LOADS THAT COMPLETE THE PICKER ONE 15 AS IT PERTAINS TO ZERO B QUARTER LOADS THAT COMPLETE THE PICKER ONE 15 PROCESS BETWEEN JANUARY 28TH, WHICH WAS YOUR CUTOFF FOR, UH, ZERO A AND JUNE 1ST, JULY 1ST, WHENEVER YOU START YOUR CASE CONDITIONING FOR, UM, ZERO B, WHERE DID THOSE GET INCLUDED AS FIRM, ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE SUPER CONTEMPORARY, LIKE THEY'RE NOT SUBJECT TO RE STUDY? WELL, I THINK THAT WILL DEPEND, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE CRITERIA WE'VE LAID OUT HERE IS THAT THE CUTOFF DATE FOR THE INCLUSION CRITERIA IS JANUARY 28TH OF THIS YEAR.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, AS JEFF HAS EMPHASIZED A COUPLE TIMES, THESE ARE THE INITIAL, THIS, THE PENCILED VERSION OF HOW WE BELIEVE THESE PROCESSES COULD FUNCTION AND GET US FROM THE CURRENT PROCESS TODAY TO THE, UM, ONGOING BATCH STUDY PROCESS THAT WOULD HOPEFULLY BEGIN NEXT YEAR.
UM, IS AS THAT TRANSITION GETS UNDERWAY AT SOME POINT THE REVIEW OF STUDIES UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS WOULD, YOU KNOW, LIKELY HAVE TO STOP BECAUSE IT, IT DOESN'T REALLY MAKE SENSE TO HAVE A SNAPSHOT STUDY THAT COVERS ALL THE LOADS THAT ARE INCLUDED ON THE EQUAL FOOTING AND GIVES ALLOCATIONS IF WE THEN HAVE LOADS THAT ARE PROCEEDING INDIVIDUALLY THROUGH A SEPARATE PROCESS AT THE SAME TIME.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROPOSED CUTOFF DATE IS JANUARY 28TH AND THAT WOULD BE WHERE WE WOULD, UH, MAKE DETERMINATIONS ON, UH, HOW THESE LOADS ARE CLASSIFIED.
THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE FOR ZERO A AND YOU HAVE IT VERY CLEARLY STATED, THERE'S NO STATEMENT OF THAT ON ZERO B AND NO NEED FOR THERE TO BE, BECAUSE HYPOTHETICALLY SOMETHING YOU APPROVED YESTERDAY, IT'S WELL AHEAD OF YOUR CASE CONDITIONING ON B, IT'S SUPER CONTEMPORARY.
IT IF, IF PICKER ONE 15, BACK TO YOUR SLIDE TWO SECOND STATEMENT, IT'S STILL IN EFFECT.
AND THE TIMING OF A TRANSITION TO BATCH STUDY IS TO BE DETERMINED THAT CAN'T BE 1 28 FOR ZERO B OTHERWISE, WHICH THERE'S NO REASON FOR IT TO BE THAT FOR ZERO B BECAUSE YOUR CONDITIONING FOR THAT DOESN'T START TILL LATER.
SO THOSE CAN'T BOTH BE TRUE AND I WOULD REALLY ASK YOU TO MAKE ZERO B TIED TO THE START OF YOUR CONDITIONING FOR THOSE CASES.
SO I ACTUALLY, I I THINK IT DOES HAVE TO BE BECAUSE WITH ZERO A, WE'RE GOING TO START ALLOCATING MEGAWATTS, WHICH MEANS ANYTHING THAT COMES IN AFTER JANUARY, 2020 EIGHTH, OR SORRY JANUARY 28TH, THE, THE STUDIES ARE NO LONGER VALID.
ANYTHING THAT COMES IN OR YOU, YOU APPROVED.
SO HYPOTHETICALLY, SOMETHING YOU APPROVED YESTERDAY, BACK TO BULLET TWO ON SLIDE TWO, IT PIG OF ONE 15 CAN'T STILL BE IN EFFECT IF THAT'S YOUR DRAW YOUR CUTOFF FOR BI SEE HOW IT CAN BE FOR A WHEN I'M THERE, BUT FOR B THERE'S NO REASON FOR IT TO BE THE 1 28.
IF YOU REALLY MEAN WHAT YOU SAY HERE OF IT'S STILL IN EFFECT, WHAT AM I MISSING? SO, UM, AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, ONE 15 IS STILL IN EFFECT, BUT IT COULD BE THAT WE, UH, IT, WE WORK THIS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, WE GO BACK AND WE SAY, WELL, A, AS OF FEBRUARY 20TH, THEN WE ARE RETROACTIVELY IN CANCELING ANYTHING THAT CAME AFTER JANUARY 28TH THAT WENT THROUGH THE ONE 15 PROCESS BE BE BECAUSE, AND AND THE REASON GO BACK AND, AND RESTATE, THE REASON WE HAVE TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE YOU, YOU UH, YOU, YOU ARE GOING TO INVALIDATE STUDIES THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND WE, WE NEED TO HAVE A STUDY TO, UH, DO A ONCE AND FOR ALL
[03:45:01]
STUDY.AND, AND THAT'S BOTH A, WHERE WE ARE NOW GOING TO ALLOCATE MEGAWATTS AND A THAT THAT IS GOING TO INVALIDATE PREVIOUS STUDIES BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA ALLOCATE MEGAWATTS.
AND SO ZERO B HAS TO FOLLOW THAT SAME LOGIC.
I'M, MY FINAL COMMENT WOULD BE IF THIS IS TRULY WRITTEN IN PENCIL THAT JANUARY 28TH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THAT CAN BE ANY EARLIER THAN YOUR TWO 20 TIMELINE WHEN YOU PRESENT THIS TO THE COMMISSION OR OTHERWISE.
WE'RE REALLY JUST PRETENDING TO HAVE INPUT HERE BECAUSE THAT'S FOR ZERO B, YOU'RE RETROACTIVELY COMING OUT WITH A DATE AND PRETENDING THAT PICKER ONE 15 IS STILL IN PROCESS FOR THINGS THAT DON'T NEED TUDY.
AND AND THE REASON WE'RE SAYING THAT IS BECAUSE I, I DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SIT HERE TODAY AND SAY THAT JANUARY 28TH IS THE DAY I, YOU KNOW, I I NEED THE, UM, THE COMMISSION TO AGREE WITH THAT.
UH, AND, AND SO UNTIL THEY DO, I I CAN'T, WE, WE, WE HAVE TO KEEP GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS, BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE GET TO A POINT WHERE THE COMMISSION TELLS US YEAH, THAT THAT'S YOUR JANUARY 28TH DATE IS GOOD, BUT I, I CAN'T, AS WE SIT HERE TODAY ON FEBRUARY 3RD, I, I, YOU KNOW, I I DON'T, I I HAVE PLANNING GUIDE AND PROTOCOLS THAT TELL ME THAT I I CAN'T DO THAT YET.
JULIAN VIRGOS, YOU SAID DIFFERENTLY WITHOUT A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION.
SHANNON, DO YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THE CURRENT PROTOCOLS? OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THAT.
SO JULIAN BERGOS ACTUALLY WE'LL TALK ABOUT GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION AT THE END HERE OF THE MEETING.
HI THERE, THIS IS JULIAN FROM EP.
UH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO SLIDE NUMBER 23 PLEASE? UH, YEAH, UM, I WANNA ASK WHAT SPECIFICALLY THE CHIEF FACTOR THRESHOLD IS TO CONSIDER, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE A HARMING CHIEF FACTOR BASED ON THE CONSTRAINTS FOUND IN IN THE STEADY STATE ANALYSIS IN THE IT NUMBER TWO IN THE PROCESS? YEAH.
UM, WE'RE STILL EVALUATING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DO HAVE METHODOLOGY THAT, UH, WE USE FOR THE CURRENT PROCESS, UH, WHICH I BELIEVE IS, IS 3%, BUT WE ARE EVALUATING WHETHER OR NOT ANY, UH, CHANGE TO THAT METHODOLOGY WOULD BE NEEDED HERE ALSO, UH, JUST TO KNOW IF YOU GUYS ALREADY, UH, DISCUSSED THAT, BUT IT, IT SAYS DECREASED CONSUMPTION FOR, UH, THE LOADS THAT ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERLOAD, RIGHT? SO HOW, HOW THOSE WILL BE KIND OF REDISTRIBUTED OR, OR HOW, HOW THE LOAD WILL BE DECREASED, UH, FOR EACH OF THE CONTRIBUTORS TO CONTRIBUTORS TO OF THE OVERLOAD DE DEPENDING ON THE SHIFT FACTOR OR HOW, HOW WOULD THAT BE, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY HAVE MORE THAN ONE PROJECT CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERLOAD, SO I'M JUST CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW HOW THEY DECREASE WILL, WILL BE DONE.
YEAH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA COVER THAT IN A LATER SLIDE.
HEY, THIS IS PRASHANT FROM BLACK MOUNT.
I HAVE QUESTION ON SLIDE SIX 17.
UM, SO ON THE LOAD ALLOCATION, UH, HERE IT SAYS THE STEADY STATE NEEDS TO BE APPROVED BY CHINA 28.
UH, WHY
CAN WE NOT ADD LIKE THE STABILITY OR THE FACILITY STUDY? THE REASON I SAY IS, UH, IF WE FRONT LOADS FACILITY STUDY WITH SOME PSPS THERE, THEN WE HAVE AN ENERGIZATION COMPARED TO THE STEADY STATE.
UM, SO CAN CAN
PRASHANT, I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF A HARD TIME HEARING YOU, BUT I BELIEVE WHAT YOU WERE UH, ASKING IS COULD, UH, THE APPROVAL OF A STABILITY STUDY BE CONSIDERED AS WELL? UH, DID I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION CORRECTLY? E EITHER APPROVAL OF THE STABILITY STUDY OR THE FACILITY STUDY
[03:50:01]
FROM THESO, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE BREAKERS ARE THE LONG LEAD TIMES.
IF THERE ARE PROJECTS, UH, THAT ARE SECURED BREAKERS AND CAN COME EARLY ONLINE, THOSE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IN ZERO A AS WELL.
YEAH, THE, THE THINKING BEHIND THIS CRITERIA, UM, WAS THAT THE APPROVAL OF A STUDY STATE STUDY ALSO DEMONSTRATED THAT THE, UM, ABILITY TO SERVE THE LOAD REALISTICALLY HAD ALREADY BEEN ASSESSED.
UM, AND SO THAT ALLOWED FOR, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME, UH, PRIOR ASSESSMENT OF WHETHER OR NOT THIS 2027 DATE WAS, WAS, UH, EVEN POSSIBLE.
UM, I THINK WE CAN TAKE THAT COMMENT BACK THOUGH AND MAYBE BRING BACK, UH, WE CAN CONSIDER IT AHEAD OF THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
YEAH, AND THIS APPLIES TO THE NEXT SLIDE AS WELL.
IF YOU GO TO THE ZERO B, UM, IF YOU HAVE ZERO B SAYS, UH, NOT STEADY STATE SUBMITTED, UH, CRITERIA, IF YOU CAN ALSO INCLUDE EITHER THE STABILITY STUDY SUBMITTED OR THE FACILITY STUDY, UH, DONE BY THE TSP AS A QUALIFICATION CRITERIA FOR ENTERING INTO THE ZERO B.
UH, SO THE SAME COMMENT APPLIES HERE AS WELL.
UM, THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS BASICALLY, UH, CONCERNING WHATSOEVER OTHER PEOPLE RAISED, UH, REGARDING Q2 2027 QUALIFICATION CRITERIA, UM, CAN I SEE A COURT'S CONCERN IS, UH, BASICALLY YOUR, YOU GUYS ARE SAYING THERE WILL BE MORE REQUESTS, UH, THAT MIGHT COME ON, BUT REALISTICALLY LOT OF TSP TIMELINES ARE FAR BEYOND 20 GATE AT THIS POINT AND NOBODY CAN ENERGIZE 36 MONTHS PRIOR TO THAT
SO I DON'T THINK PERSONALLY THERE WILL BE A LOT OF REQUESTS THAT YOU GUYS WILL BE SEEING NEW, UH, IF YOU BASICALLY MOVE THAT Q2 2027 TO Q4 2027 OR Q1 2028, THERE WILL BE ONLY VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF PROJECTS.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, TO FURTHER FILTER OUT, YOU CAN ADDITIONALLY ADD, ADD ADDITIONAL CRITERIA.
WHAT PJM DID IS IF A, IF A LOAD STUDY THAT THAT WAS SUBMITTED HAS A CLEAN RESULTS, YOU CAN BASICALLY ADD THAT AS AN ADDITIONAL CRITERIA FOR BASICALLY INCLUSION TO ZERO A, SO THAT WE ARE NOW USING A REALISTIC, UH, ENERGIZATION DATES AT THE SAME TIME BASICALLY ALLOWING SOME OTHER PROJECTS TO ENTER INTO THE QUEUE.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS RESPONSE.
CARRIE COLLIER OR COLLIER? CARRIE.
UM, I HAVE A QUESTION ON SLIDE.
HEY, COMPANY, REAL QUICK, QUICK.
OH, I'M WITH HUSH BLACKWELL, SEVERAL CLIENTS WITH PROJECTS.
SO MY QUESTION IS ABOUT BAT ZERO A, THE INCLUSION CRITERIA, AND I THINK THAT'S ON SLIDE 18.
SO MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, UM, THE REQUIREMENT THAT PLAN PASSING OR HAVE COMPLETED PLANNING GUIDE 9.5 IS A TERM DETERMINING FACTOR IN WHETHER THE LOAD IS CONSIDERED FIRM OR SUBJECT TO REST STUDY IN BATCH ZERO A.
AND MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, UM, I HAVE PROBABLY FOUR OR FIVE CLIENTS WITH PROJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT, UM, FOR FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS.
AND THE GAP THERE IS THAT THE WAY THAT IT'S WRITTEN, IT DOESN'T, WHETHER IT'S SECTION 9.5 IN THE PLANNING GUIDE IS WRITTEN, UM, IT'S, IT'S UNCLEAR FOR ESPECIALLY CO-LOCATED LLI WHERE THE INTERCONNECTING TSP IS NOT ALSO THE RETAIL UTILITY WITH THE OBLIGATION TO SERVE THAT LOAD.
IT'S UNCLEAR, AND WE'VE BEEN UNABLE SINCE OCTOBER TO GET CLARITY FROM ERCOT, UM, ON EXACTLY HOW TO GET THE INTERCONNECTION STUDY, OR I'M SORRY, THE, THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT THAT'S REQUIRED UNDER 9.5 IN THAT SCENARIO.
SO LIKE JUST ME, I KNOW OF FOUR, MAYBE FIVE PROJECTS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE CONSIDERED FIRM LOAD IN BATCH ZERO A, BUT FOR THE FACT THAT WE LITERALLY HAVEN'T GOTTEN FEEDBACK AND CONFIRMATION ABOUT HOW TO GET AN INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT BECAUSE UNDER THE CURRENT LAW, THAT LOAD CAN'T SIGN AN INTERCONNECTION, A LOAD INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT WITH THE INTERCONNECTING TSP IF THEIR RETAIL DELIVERY UTILITY WITH THE OBLIGATION TO SERVE AS A DIFFERENT UTILITY.
AND I KNOW GOING FORWARD, WE, WE'VE FILED COMMENTS AND THE RULEMAKING TO ADDRESS THAT AND WE SUGGESTED
[03:55:01]
ON BEHALF OF, UM, YOU KNOW, CRUSOE FOR EXAMPLE, TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW FOR THREE PARTY AGREEMENTS TO SORT OF STANDARDIZE THAT.AND SO THERE'S BEEN THIS REGULATORY GAP THAT NOW THERE'S A CUTOFF
ANY THOUGHTS? YEAH, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW, I MAY HAVE TO PHONE CHRISTINA AGAIN ON THAT ONE, BUT, UH, I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT.
YEAH, CHRISTINA SWITZER, SENIOR REGULATORY COUNSEL FOR ERCOT.
UM, I, I THINK I WOULD PUT THIS IN THE BUCKET WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER WHERE THERE'S SOME SPECIFIC SITUATIONS THAT WE MAY NEED TO TALK ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS.
ALRIGHT, SO AT THIS POINT IT'S TWO 15, UH, WE HAVE 15 MINUTES.
WHAT I WILL DO IS KEEP THE QUEUE ALIVE AS WE CUT.
SO WHAT, IT'S 15 MINUTES, WE'LL STOP QUESTIONS, GO BACK TO THE PRESENTATION AND COME BACK TO THE QUEUE WHERE WE'RE LEFT OFF.
HI, ANGELA CHEN FROM SATOSHI ENERGY.
UM, JUST HAVE TWO QUESTIONS, THINGS FOR ERCOT, UH, TO CONSIDER.
THE FIRST THING IS FOR BATCH ZERO A, WHAT ERCOT CONSIDER LOADS THAT HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED ERCOT APPROVED LOAD STUDIES AND DETERMINED THAT THERE'S NO TRANSMISSION UPGRADES NECESSARY.
WE THINK THAT, UM, THIS ADDED AS AN ADDITIONAL CATEGORY OF LEG ELIGIBILITY, UM, MEANS THAT, UH, ALLOWS THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE AT NO RISK RATE PAYERS, UM, AND HAVE NO GRID RELIABILITY OR RESEARCH ADEQUACY REASONS WHY THESE LOADS NEED TO BE DELAYED OR, UH, FOR FUTURE BADGES.
YEAH, I, I THINK, UM, POSSIBLY FILED UNDER CHRISTINA'S, UH, UH, SCENARIOS THAT MIGHT NEED MORE, UH, SPECIFIC CONSIDERATION.
BUT IN GENERAL, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, AS I, UH, THE PHILOSOPHY IS TO DRAW THE LINES THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE CURRENT AND THE INTERIM PROCESS, UM, BEFORE IT, UH, FOR CONSISTENCY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY ARE TRYING TO DRAW THESE LINES BASED ON PROJECT MATURITY.
SO, SO AGAIN, BECAUSE YOUR STUDY IS DONE AND SHOWED THAT THERE WERE NO ISSUES, THAT THAT STUDY MAY NO LONGER BE VALID.
AND SO WE, WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND UD BECAUSE IF OTHER LOADS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE HAVE COME, THEN NOW THERE COULD BE ISSUES.
AND, AND I, I THINK WE DON'T KNOW THAT UNLESS WE DO THAT RE-STUDY, WHICH AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE ENVISIONING THIS BACHELOR TO BE THAT, THAT RE STUDY FOR ALL PROJECTS THAT THAT ARE IN THAT BOAT.
AND MY, MY SECOND, UM, QUESTION AND, UH, FOR THE ERCOT CONSIDERATION IS, SO I THINK ECHOING SHANNON AND CARRIE AND A LOT OF STAKEHOLDERS COMMENTS, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE CUTOFF AT JANUARY 28TH IS A LITTLE BIT ARBITRARY FOR BOTH, UM, ZERO A AND B, UM, INCLUDING THE INTERIM LLI CRITERIA NEEDING TO MEET THAT BY DECEMBER 15TH.
UM, AND IT MAKES IT EXTREMELY CHALLENGING FOR LOADS THAT ARE HAVE EXTREME, HAVE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS ON BOTH THE DEVELOPER AND THE TSPS END.
AND WE HAVE PROJECTS CLOSE TO EXECUTING CONTRACTS WITH A CO-OP THAT ARE, HAVE BEEN CAUGHT UP WITH SIMILAR ISSUES THAT CARRY REFERENCE WHERE BECAUSE THE GOALPOSTS OF WHAT AN INTERCONNECTION, UH, AGREEMENT LOOKS LIKE WITHIN CO-OP TERRITORY KEEP MOVING THAT, UH, THESE HAVE BEEN DELAYED AND, UM, BECAUSE THIS PARTICULAR ONE WORK STREAM HASN'T BEEN ADVANCED, NOW WE'D BE PENALIZED AND PUSHED BACK TO, UH, POTENTIAL 2028 ENERGIZATION.
SO I, I GUESS JUST TO ECHO AND, AND ASK THE, UH, ERCOT FOR CONSIDERATION, YOU KNOW, AS PIGER 15 IS STILL IN EFFECT, WOULD ERCOT CONSIDER PUSHING BACK THE ZERO A CUTOFF, UM, FOR AND INCLUDING ALL OF ITS CRITERIA TO JUST PRIOR TO CASE CONDITIONING? SO WE'RE THINKING THIS WOULD BE FEB 20TH AT THE EARLIEST, UM, AND THEN, UH, FOR, UH, ZERO B PRIOR TO ITS CASE CONDITIONING LATER THIS SUMMER.
ALL RIGHT, SO ANGELA, I THINK THAT'S THE THEME OF THE PAST FEW QUESTIONS, CORRECT, IS WHETHER OR NOT TO MOVE THOSE DATES.
SO JUST SEEING, IS THERE A NEW QUESTION IN THERE, BUT THE ANSWER HAS BEEN NO AT THIS POINT.
AND, AND MATT, I WILL ADD JUST ONE, ONE CLARIFICATION THAT THE DECEMBER 15TH CUTOFF FOR THE INTERIM PROCESS IS BECAUSE THAT'S THE DATE THAT PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE WAS EFFECTIVE AND THE INTERIM PROCESS CEASED TO EXIST.
AND SO, UM, THAT THAT DATE WAS, WAS DRAWN VERY INTENTIONALLY IS BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE REQUIREMENTS IN SECTION NINE FOUR AND NINE FIVE BECAME EFFECTIVE.
I'M SORRY, I WASN'T TRYING TO INTERVENE AND GIVE A CONCISE ANSWER SO MUCH AS I THINK THE PREVIOUS QUESTIONS HAVE
[04:00:01]
ALREADY TRIANGULATED AND I JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT, THAT ONE POINT, BUT I, I AGREE WE'VE TRIED THE, THE GROUND OTHERWISE.COLTON SCHULTZ, NORTHERN ENERGY, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME.
QUICK QUESTION, VERY SIMILAR TO THE PREVIOUS ONES.
UM, JUST BEEN BEEN WAITING IN HERE FOR A LITTLE WHILE, SO I'M GONNA THROW IT OUT THERE WITH THE LOAD THAT HAS AN ENERGIZATION DATE OF Q4 2027 WITH NO TRANSMISSION UPGRADES REQUIRED AND HAS ALL STUDIES, INCLUDING THE STABILITY STUDY APPROVED BEFORE THE NEW FRAMEWORK IS IMPLEMENTED ON FEBRUARY 20TH, BUT AFTER THE CUTOFF DATE OF JANUARY 28TH, THEN I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A FIRM LOAD WITH ALL THE STUDY WORK ERCOT AND THE TSP HAS DONE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF OUR PROJECT ENDS UP IN BATCH ZERO B VERSUS ZERO A AND GETS APPROVAL IN EARLY 2027 INSTEAD, THEN THAT WOULD MAKE ENERGIZATION IN Q4 2027 EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
SO MY QUICK QUESTION IS WHY WOULD A LOAD THAT SAT SATISFIES 9.4 AND 9.5 BEFORE THE NEW FRAMEWORK IS IMPLEMENTED ON FEBRUARY 20TH, BUT SHORTLY AFTER JANUARY 28TH, NOT BE CONSIDERED A FIRM LOAD? YEAH, SO I'M LOOKING JEFF, THAT'S ASKED AND ANSWERED AGAIN, SAME SCENARIO, SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
DO YOU GUYS THINK IT'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THE DATE CAN BE MOVED TO TWO 20 FOR ZERO A INCLUSION? WELL, I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION THAT'S BEING ASKED IS WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE COMMISSION AND WHAT DO THOSE DATES MOVE? AND SO I, ER HAD, HAS PROPOSED SOMETHING, PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT THAT'S THE WRONG DATE AND WE'RE SAYING THAT'S JUST PART OF THE ONGOING DISCUSSION, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA MAKE HEADWAY ON THAT TODAY.
SO AGAIN, THIS IS THE FEEDBACK.
UM, SO THIS MAY GO INTO CHRISTINA'S SCENARIO BUCKET THAT NEEDS MORE CONSIDERATION.
UM, BUT RELATED TO THE TOPIC OF INCLUSION IN BATCH ZERO A AND STUDY STATE STUDIES BEING APPROVED BY 1 28, UM, THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE TSP NOT ADVANCING STUDIES IN A TIMELY MANNER DUE TO THEM NOT HAVING THE ABILITY TO INTERCONNECT TO LOAD, I THINK IS A FALSE ONE.
THERE HAVE BEEN CASES WHERE TSPS INITIAL STUDIES WERE COMPLETED IN SOME CASES MULTIPLE TIMES.
THE TSP CONFIRMED THEY WERE MOVING FORWARD WITH ERCOT, LLI NUMBERS WERE PROVIDED, BUT THEN THERE WAS LACK OF FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT PART DESPITE THE LOAD HAVING AN UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT PROCESS WAS PROCEEDING WITH ERCOT.
SO NOW WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, ASSETS, COMMERCIAL ASSETS THAT ARE AT RISK BECAUSE LACK OF FOLLOW THROUGH DESPITE A LOAD DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO ADVANCE IT.
SO ON THIS NOTE, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ALSO CONSIDER ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS OF LOAD VIABILITY, ESPECIALLY IN BATCH ZERO A, UM, SUCH AS KAYAKS PAID PROJECT FUNDING AVAILABLE AND BEING ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON A FACILITY.
BECAUSE IF YOU ARE GOING TO IN FACT ENERGIZE IN 2027, SUBSTANTIAL WORK HAS TO HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED ON THOSE SITES.
SO, UM, TO AVOID STUDYING LOADS THAT REALLY DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXECUTE ON A 2027 TIMEFRAME, I THINK THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL ELEMENT HERE THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED.
I'M HERE TODAY FOR TRACK, UM, NOT TO PILE ON WITH EVERYBODY.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A SLIGHT, UM, MODIFICATION TO SOME OF THESE ISSUES AROUND THE JANUARY 28TH.
UM, IT, THE REQUIREMENT IS THAT THE UTILITY HAS SUBMITTED THE DATA TO ERCOT AND WE HAVE A CASE WHERE OUR STUDIES WERE DONE IN SEPTEMBER.
THEY DON'T SUBMIT THEM TO ERCOT AND IN FACT THEY STILL HAVEN'T SUBMITTED THEM TO ERCOT.
THEY, THEY SUBMITTED ONE BATCH, UH, AND WE WEREN'T IN IT.
UM, BUT THE STUDIES HAVE BEEN DONE FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, SO MAYBE CONSIDER JUST WHEN THE STUDIES WERE DONE RATHER THAN WHEN THIS UTILITY SUBMITTED THEM BECAUSE THERE MAY BE DIFFERENT SORT OF PROCESS AT EACH UTILITY AND, UH, YOU DO HAVE AN ISSUE OF FAIRNESS HERE THAT EVERYBODY'S CONCERNED ABOUT, I THINK.
AND THEN I WOULD JUST PILE ON TOO, THAT USING ENERGIZATION DATE, UM, AS A PRIORITY, WE WOULD SUGGEST IF YOU'RE GONNA STICK WITH THAT, THAT THERE'D STRICTER REQUIREMENTS, UH, OR THAT YOU LOOK AT THOSE PROJECTS CAREFULLY, UH, WHEREAS SOME PROJECTS MAY BE PUT ON A MORE REALISTIC DATE AND ARE GONNA SUFFER FOR THAT.
ROBBIE TU AND RAVI, IF YOU'RE SPEAKING, WE DON'T HEAR YOU.
[04:05:01]
YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT.UM, UM, I HAVE ONE SPECIFIC QUESTION REGARDING THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS FOR, UH, ON THE DEFINITION OF INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS.
HOW DO YOU DEFINE THE PROJECTS WHICH ARE BEHIND THE METER? WOULD A-S-G-I-A QUALIFY AS AN INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT OR IS IT A, UM, RETAIL AGREEMENT WITH THE LLC? HEY, ROBBIE, I CAN TAKE THAT ONE.
UM, SO I'D REFER YOU TO SECTION 9.5 0.2 OF THE ERCOT PLANNING GUIDE, WHICH, UM, SPECIFIES THAT THE INTERCONNECTING TSP WOULD CONFIRM TO ERCOT THAT ALL REQUIRED AGREEMENTS ARE IN PLACE.
AND, UH, IF THAT INCLUDES AN UPDATE, UH, UPDATED OR AMENDED SGIA, THAT THAT BE PROVIDED TO ERCOT AS, UH, REQUIRED IN SECTION FIVE OF THE PLANNING GUIDE.
UH, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT, LET'S SAY THERE IS NO FINANCIAL SECURITY NEEDED, UH, WITH THE LSC, BUT ALL THE FINANCIAL SECURITY IS DONE THROUGH THE SGAA, UH, WOULD THAT, HOW WOULD THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CHANGE? BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CRITERIA REGARDING FINANCIAL SECURITY AND NOTICE TO PROCEED, WHICH TYPICALLY IS NOT PROVIDED TO THE LSC IN THIS CASE.
YEAH, SO, UH, AGAIN, I, I THINK YOU KNOW THAT THE WAY THAT THE CURRENT RULES ARE STRUCTURED IS IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE RELY ON THE INTERCONNECTING TSP TO PROVIDE THAT CONFIRMATION THAT ALL, UH, NEEDED SECURITY AND NOTICE TO PROCEED HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
UH, AND THEN, UH, UM, UM, I THINK, UH, ONE QUESTION I GUESS IS, UH, THE PROJECTS WHICH HAVE BEEN APPROVED, LET'S SAY TWO YEARS AGO AND HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, SITTING IN THE QUEUE, JUST, UH, NOT, UH, COMMERCIALIZING, I'M ASSUMING THE, UM, PUCT PROCESS OR SOMETHING WOULD, WOULD ADDRESS THOSE PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT COMMERCIALLY MOVING FORWARD.
IS THAT RIGHT? UH, POTENTIALLY, YES.
UM, I WOULD ALSO ADD THAT, UM, IF IF THE PROJECTS HAVE NOT MOVED FORWARD AFTER STUDIES, UH, THEY LIKELY ALSO HAVE NOT MET SECTION 9.5 OF THE PLANNING GUIDE.
UM, IS THAT, UH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE ASKING THERE? RIGHT.
LET'S SAY THEY HAD AN IST DATE OF SAY JUNE 27, AND THEN THEY MET THE CRITERIA AS OF TODAY, BUT JANUARY THEY PUSHED THAT ISD DATE OUT BY SIX MONTHS OR WHATEVER.
I MEAN, WHICH IS GENERALLY DONE IN THE GENERATION INTERCONNECTION PROCESS.
SO THEY'RE ESSENTIALLY PUSHING THEM OUT, RIGHT? SO THEY'RE NOT COMMERCIALLY, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK IN, IN THOSE CASES, THIS IS ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE STUDIES BECOME INVALID UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS, UH, IN THIS CASE MIGHT MAYBE MORE DELIBERATELY SO, SO, UM, IN, I BELIEVE IT'S PARAGRAPH 10 OF SECTION 9.4, UH, ALLOWS FOR A LOAD TO ACHIEVE INITIAL ENERGIZATION WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE DATE IT WAS STUDIED FOR BEFORE IT'S, UH, AT RISK OF BEING RESTUDIED, UH, AUTOMATICALLY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDER THE PLANNING GUIDE LANGUAGE, THAT WOULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE THOSE PROJECTS ARE, ARE DEALT WITH AND, AND PRESUMABLY IT WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED, UM, YOU KNOW, FULLY STUDIED AND APPROVED AND SIGNED AT THAT, UH, FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE BATCH.
AT WHAT POINT WOULD, UH,
AND SO GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE QUEUE.
SO JASON COX, YOU'RE NEXT UP, HOWEVER, WE'RE GONNA PAUSE THE QUEUE, IT CAN CONTINUE TO STACK UP, BUT WE'RE GONNA PIVOT OVER TO JEFF GETTING THROUGH THE REST OF THE SLIDES AND THEN WE'LL USE THE BALANCE OF THE MEETING FOR THE REST OF THE QUESTION.
I I, I DO JUST WANNA SAY, AS YOU HAVE BROUGHT EXAMPLES FORWARD, THAT HAS HELPED TO REINFORCE THE CHALLENGES OF THIS.
SO DON'T SAY, DON'T TAKE THAT AS ERCOT HAS TOLD US, NO, AND THIS IS THE WAY IT'S GONNA BE FOREVER.
WE HAVE SAID THIS IS OUR PROPOSAL, THIS IS WHY WE THINK IT WORKS, AND, AND ON WE GO WITH DISCUSSIONS AT THE PC, WHEREVER ELSE.
[04:10:01]
MR. BILLOW? YEAH, THANKS MORE IS YOURS UNTIL YOU HIT THE LAST SLIDE.OH, I THINK I ACCIDENTALLY WENT TOO FAR.
SO, UH, YEAH, ACTUALLY, UM, RAVI'S QUESTION SORT OF DOVETAILS INTO WHERE WE NEED TO GO NEXT IS THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO, UH, TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM THESE STUDIES.
SO, UM, SO, UH, YOU MENTIONED THIS EARLIER, BUT WHAT WE NEED FROM THE TSP, UH, IN ORDER TO PERFORM THE STUDY IS THE POINT OF INTERCONNECTION WHERE, WHERE PHYSICALLY ON THE GRID IS, IS THE LOAD GOING TO CONNECT AND THE MODEL INFORMATION THAT GOES ALONG WITH THAT SO THAT WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE MODELS.
AND, AND THEN WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW THE STATUS OF THE LOAD MEETING, THE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT AND INTER INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS.
UH, SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED FROM THE TSP, FROM THE ILLE THEMSELVES.
WE NEED TO KNOW THE PEAK LOAD, UH, MENTIONED EARLIER ALSO THE DYNAMIC MODEL AND THE ASSOCIATED INFORMATION.
UH, WE NEED TO KNOW THE RAMP SCHEDULE FOR THE LOAD.
AND, AND THEN, UM, MAYBE A COUPLE NEW THINGS THAT WE HAVEN'T ASKED FOR IN THE PAST IS, UH, WE NEED TO KNOW THE MINIMUM LOAD ALLOCATION FOR THAT PROJECT TO BE VIABLE.
SO AS, AS AN EXAMPLE, IF YOU HAVE A 500 MEGAWATT PROJECT AND YOU, UM, YOU DON'T INTEND TO BUILD THAT PROJECT, IF WE ALLOCATE ANYTHING LESS THAN 200 MEGAWATTS, UH, AND THE STUDY COMES BACK AND IT SHOWS THAT IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, ONLY A HUNDRED MEGAWATTS CAN BE SERVED IN X YEAR, THEN THE ANSWER FOR THAT YEAR WOULD BE WE WOULD DEFAULT THAT BACK TO ZERO, UH, BECAUSE THAT IS LESS THAN YOUR VIABLE AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN SERVE.
NOW, IF IN A LATER YEAR WE CAN GET THAT, WE CAN MEET THAT 200 MEGAWATTS, THEN LATER YEAR WE WOULD ALLOCATE THAT 200 MEGAWATTS.
BUT IN PRE PRIOR YEARS, IF YOU SAY WE, WE WOULDN'T DEVELOP ANYTHING LESS THAN 200 MEGAWATTS, THEN WE WOULD JUST, UH, UH, TRANSITION THAT DOWN TO ZERO MEGAWATTS.
UM, AND, AND THEN, UM, I THINK ANOTHER KEY QUESTION THAT WE WILL BE ASKING THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY IN THE PAST IS WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR LOAD BLOCK SIZE? UH, SO WE MAY HAVE, UH, PROJECTS THAT ARE, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, MAY MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY DON'T HAVE DISCRETE LOAD AMOUNTS THAT THEY WOULD CONNECT.
UH, AND, AND SO I THINK WE, WE SEE SOME OF THAT TODAY, BUT THEN OTHERS YOU CAN IMAGINE LIKE, UM, AN LNG FACILITY THAT MAYBE HAS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THREE, 200 MEGAWATT BLOCKS.
UH, IF, IF THE ANSWER CAME BACK THAT WE CAN, UH, ALLOCATE 300 MEGAWATTS TO THAT LOAD, THEN, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IF, IF YOU'RE BUILDING 200 MEGAWATT TRAINS, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU, YOU'RE NOT GONNA BUILD ONE AND A HALF TRAINS.
AND, AND SO WE WOULD NEED THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE KNOW THAT WE'RE ONLY ALLOCATING IF, IF THE ANSWER IS 300 MEGAWATTS, WE'RE ONLY ALLOCATING 200 MEGAWATTS BECAUSE THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR, YOUR BLOCK SIZE.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK LATER ABOUT CLRS AND CO CO-LOCATED GENERATION, BUT THAT'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD NEED FROM THE ILLE.
UH, SO WITH, WITH THAT, I THINK THE QUESTION IS, WHAT, WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LOAD, UH, BETWEEN THE, THE DEVELOPER AND ERCOT? UH, HOW SHOULD THAT INFORMATION FLOW? UH, AND SO AS WE'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, WE, WE THINK THAT THERE ARE, UH, PRIMARILY THERE, THERE'S VARIATIONS OF THESE, BUT THERE'S PRIMARILY TWO OPTIONS.
SO ONE, ONE OPTION IS THAT, UH, IS SORT OF SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT PROCESS WHERE THE LOAD GOES THROUGH THE TSP.
SO THE LOAD PROVIDES THAT INFORMATION TO THE T-S-P-T-S-P PROCESS THAT INFORMATION, AND AS ERCOT NEEDS THAT INFORMATION THROUGH THE PROCESS, THEN THE TSP IS, IS PROVIDING THAT INFORMATION TO ERCOT.
SIMILARLY, AS ERCOT IS PROVIDING INFORMATION ON STUDY RESULTS.
SO, SO WHEN WE ALLOCATE THE LOAD, UH, THE, THE, THIS PROCESS WOULD BE, AND I THINK THIS IS KIND OF STATUS QUO WITH TODAY, IS, UM, UH, THAT INFORMATION THAT WE ARE COMMUNI, WE COMMUNICATE THAT BACK TO THE TSP AND THEN THE TSP COMMUNICATES THAT TO THE LOAD.
SO IN THE CASE OF LOAD ALLOCATION, THIS IS A, A NEW THING THAT ERCOT WOULD BE DOING AS PART OF THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS.
IT, IF THE RELATIONSHIP IS DIRECT BETWEEN THE CUSTOMER AND THE TSP, THEN IT'S ERCOT COMMUNICATING THOSE RESULTS TO THE TSP, AND THEN THE TSP COMMUNICATES THAT INFORMATION TO THE, THE DEVELOPER AND THEN THEY, YOU KNOW, DO THEIR INTERCONNECTION GROUP AND, AND, AND SO ON AFTER THAT.
THE, UM, UH, ANOTHER OPTION WOULD BE THAT ERCOT HAS A DIRECT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ILE.
SO, SO THE ILE REQUESTS THE INTERCONNECTION.
SO, SO KIND OF SIMILAR, THINK ABOUT THIS AS SIMILAR TO GENERATION INTERCONNECTION PROCESS WHERE THE DEVELOPER COMES TO ERCOT AND SAYS, HEY, I, I WANT TO, UM, CONNECT TO THE SYSTEM, UH, THEY'RE PROVIDING THEIR INFORMATION TO ERCOT, AND THEN ERCOT THEN PASSES IT, UH, THROUGH TO THE, UH, THE
[04:15:01]
TSP AND, AND TSP WILL WILL GO AND, AND DO THEIR STUDIES, AND THEN THAT COMES BACK TO ERCOT WILL PERFORM OUR, OUR BATCH STUDY.UM, BUT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, UL ULTIMATELY THERE'S STILL A RELATIONSHIP IN THAT CASE BETWEEN THE I-L-E-I-L-L-E AND THE TSP WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT SIGNING THOSE INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT AND INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENTS WITH ERCOT, YOU, YOU'RE STILL GONNA HAVE THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ILE AND THE TSP DIRECTLY.
UH, BUT IN, IN THE CASE OF LIKE GENERATION AIR CONNECTION PROCESS, IT'S ERCOT IS MAKING THAT INTRODUCTION.
SO THE IOE COMES DIRECTLY TO, TO ERCOT, AND THEN WE MAKE THAT INTRODUCTION WITH THE, UM, TSPS.
UH, I THINK WE'RE CURIOUS TO HEAR FEEDBACK ON THAT.
I THINK WHEN WE SEND OUT MATT, MATT MENTIONED THE SURVEY.
I THINK THERE IS A SURVEY QUESTION ON THIS SPECIFICALLY.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS A LITTLE BIT TODAY, BUT, UH, BUT WHAT IS THE TSP DOING? WE TALKED ABOUT THE SCREENING STUDY AND IS A TSP DOING A SCREENING STUDY, IS THAT OPTIONAL? UH, IS THAT A, A REQUIRED THING? UH, THE PSPS WILL STILL DO SHORT CIRCUIT STUDIES THAT THEY'RE STILL GOING TO DO THE, UM, THE, THE SAME, UH, SUB OSCILLATION SCREENING STUDY AS TODAY.
UH, THEY'RE STILL GONNA NEED TO DO A FACILITY STUDY.
UM, AND, AND THEN, UH, ALSO MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TSPS AS, AS WE IDENTIFY CONSTRAINTS ON THE SYSTEM, WE'RE, WE NEED TO HAVE THAT INTERACTION WITH THE TS P TO KNOW WHAT ARE FEASIBLE PROJECTS TO SOLVE THOSE, UH, THAT THOSE, UH, CONSTRAINTS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, ANY OTHER STUDIES THAT THE TS P DEEMED THAT THEY NEED TO DO FOR THEIR OWN FACT TWO COMPLIANCE OR, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE ERCOT IS NOT INTENDING TO TAKE THOSE AWAY FROM THE T-S-P-T-S-P WOULD STILL CONTINUE TO PERFORM THOSE STUDIES.
I'M GONNA, UM, DI DIVE INTO, UH, SOME METHODOLOGY, UH, TOPICS HERE.
UM, SO THAT THIS WAS, UH, A QUESTION THAT WAS BROUGHT UP EARLIER THAT I, I PUNTED TO THIS AFTERNOON.
AND THAT IS, WHAT DO YOU DO IN A CASE WHERE THE MODELS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GENERATION TO SERVE THE LOAD? AND, AND THIS IS A UNIVERSAL ISSUE IN TRANSMISSION PLANNING ANALYSIS, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU GET TO THE FURTHER YEARS OUT.
SO IF WE'RE TALKING YEAR FIVE AND YEAR SIX, UH, YOU, YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT SOME OF THE GENERATORS THAT WILL EXIST IN, UH, 2031 ARE NOT IN THE MODELS TODAY BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T REACHED THE MILESTONES NECESSARY TO, TO GET THERE.
UH, AND SO HOW, HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT SITUATION? BECAUSE WE'RE ADDING LOAD ON TOP OF THE, THE, THE STUDY CASES AND, AND THEN YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH GENERATION TO SERVE THAT LOAD.
UH, AND SO WE THINK THAT THE, UM, THE, THE PGR, THE PICKER 1 22 PROPOSED PROCESS, WE THINK THAT THAT IS A GOOD METHODOLOGY THAT HAS MOSTLY MADE IT THROUGH THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS.
I THINK THAT'S UP AT THE BOARD IN FEBRUARY FOR, UH, UH, BOARD APPROVAL.
UH, BUT WE, WE THINK THAT THAT IS A, A GOOD, UH, PROCESS TO ADD GENERATION INTO THE, UM, INTO THE MODELS WHEN THERE'S NOT ENOUGH.
UM, ALSO WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN HERE THAT, UM, THE, I THINK THIS CASE HAS COME UP PREVIOUSLY.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE ADDRESSED IT TODAY, UH, BUT THIS STUDY PROCESS.
SO, SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE TO SERVE THESE NEW LARGE LOADS THERE, THERE'S REALLY TWO, TWO ASPECTS TO THAT.
SO ONE IS, DO YOU HAVE THE TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE? AND THE SECOND IS DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH GENERATION? IT WE REFERRED TO AS RESOURCE ADEQUACY.
YOU GOT TRANSMISSION ADEQUACY, YOU'VE GOT RESOURCE ADEQUACY.
THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS IS INTENDED TO JUST ADDRESS THAT TRANSMISSION ADEQUACY PORTION OF THAT, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT INFRASTRUCTURE QUESTION, THE, THE RESOURCE ADEQUACY PART THAT THERE ARE OTHER PROCESSES THAT HANDLE THAT.
SO THAT'S NOT REALLY THE INTENTION OF, OF THE BACHELOR STUDY PROCESS.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO MAKE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT WHAT GENERATION MAY BE THERE.
UM, WE, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT, HEY, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GOING TO ALLOCATE THE LOAD BASED ON THE, THE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE SEE ON THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
UH, SO I WANTED TO DO A, A BIT OF A DEEP DIVE INTO WHAT THAT MEANS AND HOW THAT WILL WORK IN, IN THE STUDY PROCESS.
UH, SO THE, THE WAY THAT WE WILL IMPLEMENT THAT, UM, AND, AND ACTUALLY BEFORE I GET INTO THAT METHODOLOGY FIRST, SAY THE, THE, UH, OUR, OUR OBJECTIVE THAT WE THINK IS THE OBJECTIVE TO, TO WORK TOWARDS IS TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF LOAD IN EACH BATCH THAT CAN BE SERVED.
UH, SO IT IT, AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE WOULD NOT DO IS IF WE SAW TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS, WE WOULD NOT JUST,
[04:20:01]
UH, LOWER ALL LOADS PROPORTIONALLY UNTIL WE RESOLVE THOSE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS.UH, AND I'LL EXPLAIN WHY THAT, WHY THAT'S IMPORTANT HERE IN A MINUTE.
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF LOAD THAT WE CAN SERVE, UH, PER BATCH.
SO THE WAY THAT WE WOULD DO THAT IS IN THE STUDY MODEL, WE WOULD MAKE ALL LARGE LOADS THAT ARE IN THAT BATCH, IN THAT BATCH STUDY, WE WOULD, WE WOULD, UH, CHANGE THEM TO DISPATCHABLE IN THE STUDY CASE, AND THEN WE WOULD ASSIGN A DISPATCH COST A, A PENALTY FOR THE MODEL TO, UH, TO, TO DISPATCH THEM DOWN.
SO AS THE, AS WE RUN THE MODEL, WE'LL RUN A SECURITY CONSTRAINT, OPTIMAL POWER FLOW, AND, UH, AND AS THOSE, AS THE MODEL THEN TRIES TO RESOLVE THE CONSTRAINTS, IT'S GOING TO ADJUST THOSE LOADS DOWN SUBJECT TO A PENALTY COST.
AND BY, UM, MINIMIZING THAT PENALTY COST, WE WILL MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF LOAD THAT WILL BE SERVED IN THE STUDY CASE.
UH, AND, AND SO WE, WE WILL RUN THAT ANALYSIS AND THEN WE'LL SEE WHERE WE HAVE LOADS THAT HAVE BEEN DISPATCHED DOWN, UH, WHERE THERE ARE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS.
AND THEN THAT'S WHERE WE WORK WITH THE TSPS TO TRY TO IDENTIFY TRANSMISSION UPGRADES TO RESOLVE THOSE TRANSMISSION, UH, THOSE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS.
UM, AND THEN WE WILL RUN A FINAL, UH, AFTER WE'VE DONE ALL OF THAT, WE'LL RUN A FINAL SECURITY CONSTRAINT AND OPTIMAL POWER FLOW ANALYSIS, AND WE WILL ASSIGN THE LOAD ALLOCATION.
SO INCLUDED A SIMPLE ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE AT AT THE BOTTOM.
UH, SO IMAGINE YOU HAVE TWO LOADS, LOAD A AND LOAD B THAT ARE INTERCONNECTING IN AN AREA.
UH, LOAD A IS A HUNDRED MEGAWATTS LOAD B IS 500 MEGAWATTS.
THERE'S A TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINT SERVING THAT AREA FOR, FOR A AND B.
AND IN THE INITIAL ANALYSIS THAT TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINT WOULD BE 50, JUST SAY IT'S 50 MEGAWATTS OVERLOADED, BUT A AND B HAVE DIFFERENT IMPACTS, WHICH WE, WE QUANTIFY BY SHIFT FACTOR, DIFFERENT SHIFT FACTOR IMPACTS ON THAT CONSTRAINT TO WHERE A HAS A LOWER IMPACT BECAUSE IT HAS A 5% SHIFT.
FACTOR B HAS A LARGER IMPACT BECAUSE IT HAS A 25% SHIFT FACTOR.
AND SO IF YOU DO THE, THE, THE MATH ON THAT, UH, WHAT THAT MEANS IS BECAUSE THE REDUCING B HAS A GREATER IMPACT, THEN WE WOULD REDUCE B UNTIL THAT CONSTRAINT IS RESOLVED.
AND, AND SO THAT, THAT THE LOAD ALLOCATION WHEN YOU DO THE MATH ON THAT IS THAT LOAD A WOULD BE ALLOCATED THEIR FULL 100 MEGAWATTS, BUT LOAD B 'CAUSE THEY HAVE A LARGER IMPACT, THEY HAVE A HIGHER SHIFT FACTOR, THEY NEED TO BE REDUCED TO 300 MEGAWATTS.
AND ASSUMING THERE WERE NO TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT WE COULD PLAY PUT IN PLACE IN TIME, THEN THAT WOULD BE THE LOAD, FINAL LOAD ALLOCATION THAT WE WOULD, UM, PROVIDE FOR A AND B.
SO, UM, AND JUST A FEW OTHER NOTES ON, UM, LOAD ALLOCATION.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, WE WILL DO THIS BY YEAR.
UH, IF IN THE STUDIES WE SEE THAT A LATER YEAR HAS A LOWER LOAD ALLOCATION, UH, THAN PREVIOUS YEARS, THAN PRIOR YEARS IN THE STUDIES, IN THE PRIOR YEARS, WE WILL LOWER THE LOAD ALLOCATION.
SO IN THIS EXAMPLE I'VE GIVEN, IF THE RESULTS SAY, UH, YOU, YOU CAN HAVE 200 MEGAWATTS IN 28, 200 MEGAWATTS IN 29, BUT IN 2030 YOU NEED TO LOWER IT TO ONE 50.
UH, WE, WE DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S PRACTICAL.
UH, AND SO WE WOULD ALLOCATE THAT LOAD, UH, 150 MEGAWATTS IN, IN 20 28, 29, AND 2030.
UH, SO AGAIN, NOT, NOT PRACTICAL TO SAY, HEY, YOU CAN HAVE 200 MEGAWATTS FOR A COUPLE YEARS, BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO REDUCE YOUR CONSUMPTION.
UM, AND THEN AS, AS WE NOTED EARLIER, YOUR SIX ALLOCATION WOULD BE FOR THE FULL REQUESTED LOAD AMOUNT.
UM, NI THINK ANOTHER KEY PRINCIPLE THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS IS THAT THE LOAD ALLOCATION, WE WOULD NOT REDUCE THAT IN SUBSEQUENT BATCHES.
UH, AND, AND I THINK THIS IS A, A KEY, UH, KEY POINT HERE IS, IS THAT WE, WE HAVE TO PROVIDE, I THINK WE, WE HEARD THIS LOUD AND CLEAR FROM STAKEHOLDERS, IS WE HAVE TO PROVIDE CERTAINTY TO THE DEVELOPERS WHEN WE GIVE THEM A LOAD ALLOCATION.
WE CAN'T GO BACK AND CHANGE OUR MINDS LATER.
UH, AND, AND SO WE, WHATEVER YOU WOULD BE ALLOCATED THEN THAT, THAT WOULD HOLD, UH, WITH THE, UH, CAVEAT, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT, UH, LOAD ALLOCATION IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GET TO OPERATIONS, IT'S NOT A GUARANTEE THAT THAT LOAD WOULD BE SERVED ALL THE TIME.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THE GRID OPERATIONALLY WHERE WE MAY NEED TO, UH, CURTAIL THE LOAD.
AND YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S THE SAME AS, UM, ANY OTHER LOAD REQUEST.
AND I, I THINK WE HAD THIS QUESTION EARLIER AS WELL, IS, UM, IF A LOAD IS ALLOCATED
[04:25:01]
AMOUNT THAT IS LESS THAN WHAT THEY ASKED FOR, UH, IT, AND MAYBE THERE, THERE WERE NEIGHBORING LOADS THAT, THAT, UH, WERE, WERE, UH, KIND OF DRIVING THOSE RESULTS, WOULD WE GO BACK AND, UM, REALLOCATE THAT LOAD? THE ANSWER IS NOT WITHIN THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS, UH, THAT BATCH STUDY, BUT IN A LATER BATCH, THE LOAD COULD REAPPLY FOR THAT ADDITIONAL, UH, THAT, THAT ADDITIONAL LOAD THAT THEY, UH, WERE, WERE REQUESTING.SO IF THEY WANTED TO DEVELOP A 500 MEGAWATT PROJECT AND, AND WE ONLY ALLOCATED 300 MEGAWATTS, UM, THEY COULD COME BACK AND, AND ASK FOR THAT ADDITIONAL 200 MEGAWATTS IN A LATER BATCH, UH, IF THEY SO DESIRE.
AND I THINK I'M GONNA TURN IT, UM, BACK OVER TO AG THERE.
UM, SO I'M GONNA COVER, UH, THIS TOPIC'S COME UP A COUPLE TIMES ALREADY TODAY, BUT THE, THE TREATMENT OF, UH, HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT TREATING, UH, CLRS IN THE BATCH PROCESS AND THEN HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, LOADS THAT WOULD BRING YOUR OWN GENERATION, UH, INTO THE BATCH PROCESS WITH THEM.
UM, I WANT TO WANNA SAY MAYBE TWO THINGS BEFORE WE GO INTO THESE SLIDES.
THE FIRST IS, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE CERTAINLY AWARE, AND I THINK IT'S ALREADY COME UP IN THE, THE COMMENTS A COUPLE OF TIMES, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY AWARE THAT PICKER 1 34 IS OUT THERE WITH A PROPOSAL FOR, UM, CREATING A, UH, TREATMENT OF CLRS IN THE CURRENT STUDY PROCESS.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY AT A BROAD LEVEL, ERCOT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, SUPPORTIVE OF THE GOAL AND THE CONCEPTS THERE.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT HAVING CLRS ON THE SYSTEM ADDS VALUE.
UM, BUT RATHER THAN KIND OF WORKING AGAINST THE, THE CURRENT PROCESS, YOU KNOW, WHICH WE ARE HOPING TO REPLACE THROUGH THESE PROPOSALS, UH, IT'S REALLY BETTER TO BAKE IT INTO THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS AND INCLUDE THOSE FROM DAY ONE IN THE REVISION REQUESTS.
UM, SIMILARLY FOR LOADS THAT WOULD BRING THEIR OWN, UM, CO-LOCATED GENERATION, YOU KNOW, WE RECOGNIZE THERE'S VALUE THERE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S REALLY MISSING FOR BOTH CLR AND FOR GENERATION TODAY IS THE, THERE, THERE ARE RULES THAT ARE MISSING AND THAT ARE NOT FULLY ADDRESSED BY REVISION REQUESTS THAT MAY ALREADY HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED.
UM, SO THE INTENTION HERE IS THAT THE, WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DESCRIBE WOULD BE, UM, A FEATURE OF THE ONGOING BATCH STUDY PROCESS, BUT GIVEN THAT WE WOULD NEED THE REVISION REQUESTS AND TO DEFINE SOME OF THE, UH, ADDITIONAL RULES AROUND THESE WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN BATCH ZERO.
SO REALLY WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT BATCH ONE FORWARD WITH THE NEXT FEW SLIDES.
OKAY, SO STARTING OFF WITH CLRS, UM, YOU KNOW, CLR IS AN EXISTING RESOURCE CONSTRUCT THAT EXISTS IN THE ERCOT PROTOCOLS TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE LOADS THAT HAVE REGISTERED AND CAN BE DISPATCHED DOWN IN REAL TIME BY, UH, UH, OUR SCED DISPATCH.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S ALREADY ALLOWANCES FOR THINGS LIKE RAMP RATES OF THE LOADS, A MINIMUM LEVEL OF CONSUMPTION BEYOND WHICH THE LOAD CAN'T BE DISPATCHED DOWN ANYMORE.
UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHERE THE STATE OF THINGS ARE TO TODAY IS THAT THERE ARE SOME OPERATIONAL, UH, CHANGES THAT NEED TO BE MADE, AND THOSE HAVE ALREADY BEEN APPROVED THROUGH NPR 1188, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE IMPLEMENTED LATER THIS YEAR.
UM, AND THAT, THAT IS KIND OF ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISSING PIECES FOR TREATING LOADS AS, UH, DISPATCHABLE IN A PLANNING SENSE.
BUT THERE ARE SOME OTHER RULES THAT ARE GONNA BE NEEDED IN ORDER FOR THIS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THOSE MORE IN A MOMENT.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK AS WE LOOK AT THE BATCH STUDY, WE RECOGNIZE THAT IE IS REALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO REGISTER AS CLR.
UM, AND AT THE SAME TIME THEY ALSO, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE LARGEST PIECES OF CONSISTENT FEEDBACK WE HEARD IS THAT THEY ALSO WANT THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM TO ULTIMATELY BE BUILT TO SERVE THAT LOAD, UH, IN THE FUTURE.
UM, AND SO KIND OF KEEPING ALL THAT IN MIND AND THE, THE NEED FOR EVERYBODY TO HAVE CLEAR RULES HERE, UM, YOU KNOW, FIRST WE'VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF OTHER PLACES WHERE EITHER ERCOT OR, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFIED BY OTHER STAKEHOLDERS WE NEED ADDITIONAL RULES.
UM, THE FIRST IS ANOTHER OPERATIONAL PIECE, WHICH WOULD BE, UH, OFFER MITIGATION OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO ENSURE THAT CLRS, UH, DON'T RESULT IN SCED ELECTING TO ALLOW CONSTRAINTS TO VIOLATE IF THE CLR IS STUDIED AS A WAY TO
[04:30:01]
MAINTAIN RELIABILITY BY BEING DISPATCHED DOWN AND PLANNING, THERE NEEDS TO BE A STRUCTURE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT DOES HAPPEN IN REAL TIME AS WELL.SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE COMPONENT THAT WOULD NEED TO BE A FEATURE OF A FEATURE IN PRR.
THE OTHER IS A STRUCTURE TO ENSURE THAT A LOAD STUDIED AS A CLR IN THE BATCH PROCESS WOULD THEN BE OBLIGATED TO BE A CLR IN OPERATION.
AND ALSO THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A DEFINED EXIT PATH, AT WHICH POINT THE CLR WOULD BE ALLOWED TO BECOME A FIRM LOAD IF IT CHOSE TO DO SO.
UM, YOU KNOW, AS A REMINDER, THE CLR CONCEPT IS A, IS ALREADY EXISTING AND IS VOLUNTARY.
SO IF A LOAD CHOOSES TO REMAIN A CLR AFTER THE EXIT POINT IS REACHED, THAT'S ALSO WOULD BE PERMISSIBLE.
UM, AND SO WITH THOSE RULES IN PLACE, THE IDEA WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD, UH, STUDY A LOAD THAT IS ELECTING TO BE A CLR IN THE BATCH.
THE LOAD WOULD ELECT WHETHER TO BE A CLR OR NOT IN THE BATCH, AND THAT WOULD BECOME A BINDING DECISION.
UM, AND SO THE BENEFIT WOULD BE THAT WE WOULD STUDY THAT MINIMUM AMOUNT OF FIRM LOAD THAT THE LOAD DESIGNATES.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE OTHER PIECES OF INFORMATION THAT JEFF ALLUDED TO IN HIS SLIDES.
UM, AND THEN BEYOND THAT, WE WOULD ASSUME THAT SCED IS ABLE TO MANAGE THAT LOAD IN REAL TIME.
SO THIS, UH, SOMEBODY EARLIER TODAY ASKED ABOUT CONNECT AND MANAGE, THIS IS THE, THE METHODOLOGY FOR CONNECT AND MANAGE AND, UM, THE LOAD WOULD BE APPROVED FOR ITS FULL AMOUNT IN THE BATCH PROCESS.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT BECOMES A BINDING DECISION AT THAT POINT, UM, WHERE THE LOAD WOULD THEN OB BE OBLIGATED TO BE A CLR WHEN IT BECAME OPERATIONAL.
UM, THEN WE LOOK AT WHAT, HOW WE TREAT THAT IN OTHER STUDIES.
'CAUSE REMEMBER ONE OF THE GOALS HERE IS ALSO TO ENSURE THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IS BUILT TO SERVE THIS LOAD OVER THE LONG TERM.
AND SO THE CLR WOULD THEN BE MODELED AS ITS FULL REQUEST IN BOTH THE OTHER PLANNING STUDIES THAT ERCOT CONDUCTS, AS WELL AS THE FAC TWO STABILITY STUDY WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HERE TODAY.
UM, AND IT WOULD ALSO BE MODELED AT ITS FULL REQUESTED LOAD IN OTHER TSP STUDIES.
AND SO THOSE IN COMBINATION WOULD THEN ENSURE THAT THE GRID IS UPGRADED TO SERVE THE LOAD, UH, ONCE IT BECOMES OPERATIONAL.
AND THAT WOULD ALSO INFORM ITS ABILITY TO EXIT BEING CLR AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE.
TURNING NOW TO CO-LOCATION OF GENER, UH, LOAD WITH GENERATION RESOURCES.
SO WE'RE GONNA TALK FIRST ABOUT LOADS THAT WANT TO BRING THEIR OWN GENERATION.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, NEW GENERATION COMING TO THE SYSTEM WITH THE LOAD.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, ERCOT RECOGNIZES THAT DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFICS, A ARRANGEMENT WHERE A LOAD IS BRINGING ITS OWN GENERATION TO THE SYSTEM EITHER TO SERVE PART OR ALL OF THE UH, UH, REQUESTED LOAD CAN REDUCE THE NEED FOR THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM TO SUPPORT THAT LOAD.
UM, THERE ARE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT FLAVORS BY WHICH THIS CAN BE DONE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTEN REQUESTS.
I WE HAVE, WE HAVE FOUR OF THEM ON THE SLIDE, BUT I WOULDN'T CONSIDER THIS AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST.
IT DOESN'T REALLY COVER A REQUEST TO MAYBE ONLY SERVE PART OF THE LOAD BY A CO-LOCATED GENERATION.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE KIND OF THE, THE, THE BROAD STROKES.
AND I, I THINK IN SOME OF THESE CASES WE MAY BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT TODAY AND OTHERS WE'RE REALLY GONNA NEED SOME, AGAIN, NEW RULES THAT THAT WOULD BE NEEDED TO KIND OF GOVERN THIS.
UM, AND I'M GONNA EMPHASIZE AGAIN, TOO, THE, THE SPECIFICS ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT.
UM, SO THE SCENARIO FIRST SCENARIO IS KIND OF THE ONE WE HEAR THE MOST CONSISTENTLY, WHICH IS A, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BRINGING THIS LOAD, WE'RE BRINGING OUR OWN GENERATION, THE LOAD WILL NEVER BE SEEN BY THE GRID.
UM, THE INTENT WOULD BE, IN THIS CASE TO ALLOW THE, UH, LOAD TO BE APPROVED FOR ITS FULL REQUEST IF IT'S BRINGING AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF GENERATION.
HOWEVER, THERE WOULD NEED TO BE NEW RULES THAT DON'T EXIST TODAY TO ENSURE, FIRST OF ALL, THAT THE LOAD DOES NOT CONSUME FROM THE GRID EVEN MOMENTARILY.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, THE DETAILS I THINK ARE, ARE IMPORTANT THERE.
'CAUSE WE NEED TO DEFINE WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN.
UM, THE OTHER PIECE THAT I THINK WOULD BE NOVEL IS THE LOAD INTERCONNECTION REQUEST WOULD HAVE TO BE LINKED TO THE ASSOCIATED GENERATION INTERCONNECTION REQUEST.
AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE FEATURES WE SEE TODAY IS THAT OFTEN LARGE LOAD CUSTOMERS WILL REQUEST INTERCONNECTION STUDIES SEPARATELY FROM THEIR CO-LOCATED GENERATION TO ENSURE THAT IF ONE PIECE OF THE PROJECT GETS AHEAD OF THE OTHER, THAT IT'S ABLE TO COME ON ON ITS REQUESTED TIMELINE.
I THINK IF WE WERE TO START GIVING, UH, APPROVAL FOR A LOAD REQUEST, BECAUSE IT'S ASSUMED TO HAVE AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF GENERATION BROUGHT WITH IT, THOSE
[04:35:01]
TWO REQUESTS WOULD HAVE TO BECOME LINKED.AND SO THE ENERGIZATION OF THE LOAD WOULD HAVE TO BE CONDITIONED ON THE GENERATION BEING THERE AS WELL.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIT OF A DIFFERENT DESIGN, UH, CONSIDERATION THAN WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.
UM, SCENARIO TWO IS, IS SIMILAR TO SCENARIO ONE IS BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO CO-LOCATE WITH GENERATION TEMPORARILY UNTIL OUR UPGRADES ARE BUILT.
UM, AND THEN AT THAT POINT WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, WANT TO JUST BE A LOAD SERVED BY THE SYSTEM.
UH, THE, I THINK THE, THE STRUCTURE WOULD BE VERY SIMILAR TO SCENARIO ONE WITH THE ADDITION OF A STUDY THAT WOULD IDENTIFY THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES OR, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY A, A, A FEATURE OF THE BATCH ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT WOULD ALLOW, UH, THE GENERATION TO, TO EXIT AND TO, UH, UH, THE LOAD TO BE SERVED ONLY FROM THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S SIMILAR TO SCENARIO ONE, BUT WITH, UH, KIND OF AN EXIT DATE.
UM, SCENARIO THREE IS A, UH, LARGE AMOUNT OF, UH, CO UH, CO-LOCATED DISPATCHABLE GENERATION, BUT WHERE THE LOAD MAY SOMETIMES CONSUME FROM THE GRID.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, OUR THINKING ON THIS IS THAT WE WOULD POTENTIALLY SEE A PARTIAL BENEFIT HERE, UM, THAT WE WOULD, UH, LOOK TO TREAT THIS SIMILAR TO SCENARIO ONE, EXCEPT WE WOULD WANT TO LOOK AT THE G MINUS ONE N MINUS ONE SCENARIO, UH, FOR AS A POTENTIAL, UH, SCENARIO THAT MIGHT LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF LOADS SERVED.
BECAUSE WHAT, WHAT THAT REALLY REPRESENTS IS IF THE GENERATION IS EITHER FORCED OUT SUDDENLY OR IS OUT FOR MAINTENANCE, CAN THE SYSTEM STILL BE N MINUS ONE SECURE AND ABLE TO SERVE THAT LOAD RELIABLY? UM, IN THAT PARTICULAR SCENARIO, IF THE LOAD'S NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GET OFF THE SYSTEM FAST ENOUGH TO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I SAY NEVER IN KIND OF QUOTATION MARKS BE SEEN BY THE GRID, THEN WE NEED THAT ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS TO ASSURE, UH, ASSURE RELIABILITY.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT THAT'S, THAT'S THE STRUCTURE DOESN'T REALLY EXIST TODAY.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'D ALSO NEED TO ENSURE HERE THAT THOSE, UH, LOAD AND GENERATION REQUESTS ARE LINKED.
UM, AND THEN IN TERMS OF PROJECTS THAT COME WITH, UH, INTERMITTENT RENEWABLE GENERATION, UH, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE INTERMITTENT NATURE, WE DON'T ENVISION ANY ADDITIONAL SPECIAL CONSIDERATION HERE.
THIS WOULD JUST BE, UM, TREATED AS A, A SEPARATE LOAD AND GENERATION REQUESTS.
UM, AND THEN FINALLY, UH, FOR LOADS THAT ARE, UH, LOOKING TO CO-LOCATE WITH EXISTING GENERATION RESOURCES, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINKING HERE IS THAT THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM WAS BUILT WITH THE ASSUMPTION THAT THOSE GENERATION RESOURCES WOULD BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, ERCOT WOULD CON UH, WOULD CONTINUE TO LOOK AT THIS AS A, JUST A NEW LOAD INTERCONNECTION REQUEST.
UM, IN SOME CASES, THE, UH, SB SIX RULES AROUND NET METERING WOULD APPLY IF, UH, THE GENERATION WAS, UH, EXISTING ON THE SYSTEM BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1ST, 2025.
UM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU KNOW, ASIDE FROM SOME OF THE EXISTING ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IN THE PROTOCOLS TODAY, SUCH AS THE REACTIVE POWER STUDY, UH, REQUIREMENT, UM, FOR NEW CO-LOCATING LOADS, UH, WE DON'T ENVISION ANY OTHER CHANGES IN THIS AREA.
UM, I THINK THIS QUESTION'S COME UP A COUPLE TIMES, UH, DURING THE MEETING TODAY AS WELL.
AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE TOUCH ON IT AGAIN.
UM, FOR HOW, HOW WILL LOADS LESS THAN 75 MEGAWATTS BE TREATED IN, UM, THESE SCENARIOS? UH, SO THE, THE THINKING IS THAT WE WOULD NOT SUBJECT THESE LOADS TO INDIVIDUAL STUDY THROUGH THE BATCH PROCESS, BUT THEY WOULD BE INCLUDED AND REPRESENTED TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE LOAD FORECAST.
UM, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE PLANNING FORECAST TO HAVE THIS LOAD GROWTH BAKED IN, UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY AN AGGREGATE THEY CAN BE EATING UP, UH, AVAILABLE CAPACITY.
UM, AND SO, UH, THAT THAT'S THE THINKING THERE IS THAT THEY ARE INCLUDED, BUT THROUGH THE, THE LOAD FORECAST AND NOT SUBJECT TO INDIVIDUAL STUDY.
UM, I HAVE TWO MORE SLIDES AND I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO JEFF, UH, TO, UH, UH, CLOSE OUT WITH, WITH NEXT STEPS.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO I THINK THIS ONE HAS COME UP QUITE A BIT, UH, IN THIS MEETING TODAY IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THIS FITS IN WITH, WITH RPG? AND JEFF'S ALREADY COVERED SOME OF THAT IN, IN HIS SLIDES ABOUT BATCH ONE, UM, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S WORTH TOUCHING ON THEM SPECIFICALLY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK A CONSISTENT THEME THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK, UH, IS THAT THERE'S REALLY NOT A GOOD ALIGNMENT WITH THE CURRENT LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS AND RPG, UM, AND THE,
[04:40:01]
THE, YOU KNOW, THE, I THINK THE, THE PAIN POINTS ARE, ARE WELL KNOWN OF, UH, TIMELINE MISMATCHES AND ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, MISMATCHES AND STUDY ASSUMPTIONS.AND SO, YOU KNOW THAT THAT'S A CONSISTENT PIECE OF FEEDBACK WE'VE HEARD.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, I ERCOT REALLY FEELS, I THINK PRETTY STRONGLY THAT THE RPG COMMENT PROCESS IS IMPORTANT AND IT'S VALUABLE FOR GATHERING STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK ON PROPOSED UPGRADES.
UM, AND SO OUR THINKING OF THIS AS TWOFOLD IS BASICALLY THE BATCH STUDY, IF ALL THE ASSUMPTIONS HOLD FROM THE BATCH STUDY, AND SO THE BIGGEST ONE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE IMPACTING A NEED FOR AN UPGRADE DECIDE TO MOVE FORWARD IF THOSE HOLD INTO RPG.
THE GOAL IS TO MAKE THE RPG REVIEW AS STREAMLINED AS POSSIBLE AND AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TO THE EXTENT THOSE ASSUMPTIONS CHANGE, SO AS IF CUSTOMERS ELECT NOT TO MOVE FORWARD AFTER THE BATCH STUDY CONCLUDES, THEN THERE DOES NEED TO BE THAT ASSESSMENT OF WHETHER OR NOT THE RPG UPGRADE IS STILL NEEDED, AND THE COMMENT PROCESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S DRIVING HOW WE THINK ABOUT THIS.
SO THE THINKING IS THAT AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE BATCH STUDY, ERCOT WILL SEND THE CONFIDENTIAL REPORT TO THE TSPS IDENTIFYING THE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES AND THE LOIS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
IF ALL OF THOSE LOIS ELECT TO MOVE FORWARD AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO DO SO, THEN THE TSP WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT THE PROJECT FOR RPG REVIEW WITHIN SOME SET NUMBER OF DAYS.
AND, UH, ERCOT BATCH STUDY WOULD ALSO BE USED TO ESTABLISH THE NEED FOR THE PROJECT, UM, FOR RPG SUBMITTAL PURPOSES, AND, UH, POTENTIALLY IS COULD ALSO SERVE AS ERCOT INDEPENDENT REVIEW.
UM, IF A SUBSET OF LLI REQUESTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPGRADE ELECT TO MOVE FORWARD, THEN THE TSP WOULD BE REQUIRED TO REASSESS THE NEED FOR THE UPGRADE AND SUBMIT IT, UH, IF STILL NEEDED, SUBMITTED TO RPG FOR REVIEW, AGAIN, LIKELY WITHIN A SET NUMBER OF DAYS.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT KIND OF GIVES, KIND OF COVERS BOTH POSSIBILITIES AND, UH, YOU KNOW, TRIES TO TREAT THEM IN A WAY THAT'S IN THE INTEREST OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, I THINK THERE WAS A QUESTION EARLIER ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO TREAT THESE, UH, RPG UPGRADES IN SUBSEQUENT BATCHES BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, I THINK SEVERAL FOLKS POINTED OUT THERE'S LIKELY NOT GOING TO BE A CONCLUSION FROM RPG BEFORE THE NEXT BATCH STARTS.
IN FACT, IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE.
UM, AND SO THE, THE WAY WE INTEND TO TREAT IT IS IT WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED.
THE UPGRADE WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED AUTOMATICALLY IN THE NEXT BATCH UNTIL IT HAS RPG APPROVAL.
BUT YOU KNOW, FROM THE RESULTS OF THE LAST BATCH, WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THAT'S AN AVAILABLE UPGRADE PATH.
UH, AND SO IT MAY BE IDENTIFIED AGAIN IN THE NEXT BATCH AS A A NEEDED UPGRADE.
ONE OTHER CHANGE HERE THAT I THINK, UM, WE'VE ALLUDED TO A FEW TIMES, BUT I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SPECIFICALLY IS THERE'S GONNA BE A CHANGE IN THIS, THIS WHOLE, UH, PROCESS AND SET OF ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT HOW THE LOAD COMMISSIONING PLAN FUNCTIONS.
UM, SO UNDER THE CURRENT PROCESS, THE LOAD COMMISSIONING PLAN IDENTIFIES UPGRADES THAT ARE, UM, TIED TO THE HIGHER LEVELS OF LOAD THAT ARE, UH, ARE REQUESTED IN THE ENERGIZATION SCHEDULE.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, IF A PROJECT IS LIMITED BY THE NEED FOR UPGRADES, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CONSUME THAT UNTIL THAT SPECIFIC UPGRADE IS, UH, IN SERVICE.
THERE'S LANGUAGE IN IN PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE THAT ALLOWS FOR SIMILAR UPGRADES TO BE SUBSTITUTED, BUT THE THE WHOLE PROCESS IS, IS VERY CUMBERSOME TO TRACK.
AND SO THE ASSUMPTIONS HERE, UM, WHICH I THINK JEFF'S ALLUDED TO EARLIER IN THE DECK, IS WE WILL ASSUME THAT THE PLANNING PROCESS WILL WORK OUT THE SPECIFIC UPGRADE THAT IS ULTIMATELY GOING TO SERVE THAT LOAD.
AND SO THE OUTCOME OF THE BATCH WILL BE LOAD LEVELS TIED TO YEARS IN WHICH THOSE LOADS CAN ENERGIZE, BUT IT WILL BE TO THE RTP PROCESS TO WORK OUT THE SPECIFIC UPGRADE THAT ULTIMATELY GETS BUILT.
AND SO AS A RESULT, THE LCPS WILL NO LONGER BE TIED TO A SPECIFIC UPGRADE PROJECT BECAUSE THAT THE NEED MAY CHANGE AND THE SPECIFIC UPGRADE MAY CHANGE, UM, BUT THE LOAD WILL BE ASSUMED TO BE COMING ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE LAID OUT IN THE BATCH.
I GOT ONE MORE AND THEN, UH, I THINK WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA POWER THROUGH TO THE END HERE.
UM, TALKING ABOUT, OH, SORRY, I THOUGHT, THERE WE GO.
SO, UM, OUR THINKING ON RTP IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
UH, THERE'S ALREADY A STRUCTURE IN PLACE WITH RTP TO ACCOUNT FOR CHANGES THAT HAPPEN AFTER THE STUDY IS INITIATED.
[04:45:01]
YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WE ANTICIPATE LARGE LOADS THAT GO THROUGH THE BATCH PROCESS AND MEET THE 58 4 81 INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS.THOSE WOULD NEED TO BE, UH, IN INCORPORATED INTO THE RT, UH, RTP ASSESSMENT.
UM, BUT THAT, THAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED, UH, THROUGH KIND OF INTERNAL PROCESS CHANGES.
THERE'S ALREADY MECHANISMS TO ACCOUNT FOR CHANGES THAT HAPPENED DURING THE INITIATE AFTER THE INITIATION OF RTP.
UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T ANTICIPATE REALLY ANY PLANNING GUIDE CHANGES HERE, BUT WE WOULD, UH, UPDATE THE INTERNAL PROCESSES TO ALIGN AND ACCOUNT FOR THE BATCH RESULTS.
SO WITH THAT, I'M GONNA YIELD BACK TO JEFF AND UH, HE'LL TAKE US TO THE END.
I THINK I JUST HAD ONE, ONE MORE, UH, SLIDE AND THEN, UM, AND WE'RE GONNA PAUSE BEFORE WE DO THE FINAL NE NEXT STEP SLIDE AND, AND, AND WE'LL ANSWER, UH, QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, AGAIN, WE, WE'VE HIT THIS, UH, SEVERAL TIMES.
UM, THE, THE DATES AND THE DETAILS THAT WE HAVE IN HERE THAT THIS IS, UH, PRELIMINARY, UH, AGAIN, I, WE ARE STILL, UH, HAVE A PLANNING GUIDE REQUIREMENT TO FOLLOW THE EXISTING PROCESS.
AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE FOLLOWING THAT PROCESS UNTIL WE DON'T.
UM, AND, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE WORK THROUGH THIS PROCESS, UH, I'LL JUST REITERATE THAT, UM, AS WE FINALIZE DATES ON THE TRANSITION, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE THAT, UH, THROUGH, UH, I THINK PRIMARILY LARGE WORKING GROUP THROUGH MARKET NOTICES, UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, ATTACK AND, AND OTHER FORMS AS WELL.
UH, SO WITH THAT, MATT, I THINK WE ARE READY FOR QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, YEAH, I DON'T LIKE, WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS, I THINK EVERYONE HAD SOME BATCH ZERO QUESTIONS AND NOW WE'VE PANCAKED A WHOLE NOTHER SET OF TOPICS ON TOP.
WE'LL GO BACK TO THE TOP AND WORK OUR WAY THROUGH.
I MADE THE 45 MINUTE MARK SAY, ARE WE DONE WITH BATCH ZERO? AND SEE WHO WANTS TO GET INTO THE QUEUE FOR THIS OTHER, UM, TOPICS SO Y'ALL CAN CRY, FELL AND THROW STUFF AT ME.
BUT WE'RE GOING BACK TO JASON COX, WHO WE PUT BACK IN THE QUEUE AN HOUR AGO.
SO JASON, PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTION.
UH, JASON COX EQ ENERGY ADVISORS, AND IT IS ACTUALLY AN ALLOCATION QUESTION OR MULTIPLE ALLOCATION QUESTIONS, UM, IS, UH, DUE TO HOW YOU'RE VIEWING THE RPG TREATMENT OF THE POTENTIAL UPGRADES TO SERVE THE LOADS, IS THAT WHY ERCOT IS LEANING TOWARD THE, YOU GET THE ALLOCATION YOU GET NO MATTER WHO DROPS OUT OF THE BATCH PROCESS? UM, JASON, I'M, I'M GOING TO TRY TO ANSWER, BUT IF I DIDN'T FULLY UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION THEN, THEN LET ME KNOW.
UH, BUT, UH, UM, I'VE MENTIONED THIS, I THINK IN OTHER FORMS, I DON'T THINK I'VE MENTIONED THIS TODAY, BUT WE, WE HAVE TALKED TO, UM, DEVELOPERS WHO HAVE GONE THROUGH, UH, BATCH AND I THINK IT'S CALLED CLUSTER STUDIES IN, IN OTHER REGIONS.
WE HAVE TALKED TO OTHER REGIONS THAT PERFORM BATCH IN, IN CLUSTER STUDIES.
AND THE, UH, NUMBER ONE FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THOSE PROCESSES IS THAT IF, IF YOU HAVE A, WITH WITHIN YOUR BATCH PROCESS, IF, IF YOU HAVE A RESTUDY LOOP, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU END UP GETTING INTO A, A NEVER ENDING LOOP, UH, SIMILAR TO THE REST STUDY LOOP THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN, IN THE CURRENT PROCESS.
UH, AND SO AT SOME POINT YOU HAVE TO DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, IF LOADS DROP OUT OR IN THE CASE OF GENERATOR BATCH STUDIES, IF GENERATORS DROP OUT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO BACK AND TUDY.
AND, AND SO THE WAY THAT WE ARE DESIGNING THIS PROCESS IS THAT IF LOADS DROP OUT AFTER THE BATCH STUDY, WE WILL USE OTHER EXISTING PROCESSES, UH, SUCH AS THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP PROCESS.
WE, WE WILL USE THAT TO DO A, A FINAL TRUE UP ON WHAT IS NEEDED.
SO AS AN EXAMPLE, UH, AG MENTIONED THIS, THAT IF, IF YOU HAVE A, UH, A BATCH STUDY THAT IDENTIFIES, UH, I, I I NEED THIS NEW TRANSMISSION LINE, UH, UPGRADE, UH, THAT THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S A REBUILD OF A TRANSMISSION LINE AND THERE ARE THREE LOADS THAT ARE DRIVING THE NEED FOR THAT TRANSMISSION UPGRADE PROJECT, IF ALL THREE OF THOSE LOADS COMMIT, THEN WE, WE CAN STREAMLINE THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP REVIEW FOR THAT, THAT TRANSMISSION PROJECT.
UM, IF ONE OF THOSE LOADS DROPS OUT AND YOU ONLY HAVE TWO, WE'RE NOT GOING TO LENGTHEN THE BATCH STUDY PROCESS TO TRUE THAT UP, THAT THAT WOULD, THAT ANALYSIS WOULD HAPPEN, UH, IN THE REGIONAL PLANNING GROUP PROCESS TO DETERMINE
[04:50:01]
IF, IF ONLY TWO LOADS MOVE FORWARD INSTEAD OF ALL THREE.IS THAT PROJECT STILL NEEDED? SO LONG, LONG-WINDED ANSWER, I HOPE THAT ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT LET, LET ME KNOW IF NOT YEAH.
IS TO AVOID TUDY IS THE REASON WE DON'T TUDY BECAUSE THAT'S THE DEATH SPIRAL THAT WE GET CAUGHT IN.
THAT THIS KEPT COMING UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN ON THE END PIECE.
ERCOT ASSUMES THERE IS NO NON YOU NO WAY TO REALLOCATE THAT WITHOUT A FURTHER STUDY, CORRECT.
THAT THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING, RIGHT? YES.
NOW, HAS ERCOT CONSIDERED OR WILL ERCOT CONSIDER A METHOD FOR LOADS THAT GET AN ALLOCATION TO TRADE AMONG THEMSELVES, REALIZING THAT THERE IS, UH, THERE WOULD BE A NEED TO DETERMINE ELECTRICAL EQUIVALENCE OR AT LEAST A RATIO OF WHAT THE MEGAWATTS ARE GOOD FOR? MAYBE IT'S REQUIRED TO BE IN A CERTAIN ZONE OR, OR ON THE CORRECT SIDE OF A CERTAIN CONSTRAINT TO EVEN BE VALID, BUT WOULD ERCOT CONSIDER A WAY TO LET SIMILARLY SITUATED LOADS TRADE ALLOCATIONS IN AND AMONG THEMSELVES? YEAH, I JUST THINK THAT THERE'S NO WAY TO DO THAT BE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVEN ONE SUBSTATION AWAY, YOUR, YOUR SHIFT FACTORS COULD BE DIFFERENT, WHICH, WHICH COULD YIELD TREMENDOUSLY DIFFERENT RESULTS.
I, I, I JUST, I DON'T SEE A VIABLE WAY TO DO THAT WITHIN A SIX MONTH BATCH SOCIETY PROCESS.
YOU SEE, YOU ANSWERED THE QUESTION RIGHT THERE SAYING YOU WOULD KNOW THE MATH, YOU WOULD KNOW THE SHIFT FACTORS.
I'M NOT SAYING IT'S ONE TO ONE.
I'M SAYING IT COULD BE HALF A MEGAWATT FOR ONE OR QUARTER OF A MEGAWATT FOR ONE.
IT DEPENDS ON WHERE IT IS, WHAT THE SHIFT FACTORS ARE.
IS IT FEASIBLE TO DO IN A QUICK NONS STUDY TYPE ENVIRONMENT BASED ON THE STUDIES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN RUN? SO CLARIFICATION, THANKS.
YEAH, WE, WE CAN THINK ABOUT THAT, BUT I, I THINK RIGHT, RIGHT NOW THAT'S NOT PART OF THE PROPOSAL.
UM, UM, I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE LOAD ALLOCATIONS BASED ON THE SHIFT FACTOR.
SO I GUESS THAT WAS A THEME ACROSS ALL THE EXAMPLES MENTIONED THROUGH ALL THE SLIDES.
UM, UH, SHIFT FACTOR IS MAY MOSTLY USEFUL WHENEVER WE ARE TRYING TO, UH, RELIEVE SOME THERMAL OVERLOADS ON THE LIGHTS.
WHEN WE ADD THAT MANY LOADS IN ONE SHOT, ESPECIALLY FOR BATCH ZERO E, WE WILL HAVE SIGNIFICANT VOLTAGE DROPS.
WE COULD HAVE NON CONVERGENCES OUT.
HOW IS AIR CODE GOING TO, EXCUSE ME, TO, UM, ALLOCATE THE MEGAWATTS FOR THE LOADS BASED? IF THERE IS AN NON CONVERGENCE, YOU ADD THAT MERCH LOADS.
WHEN WE WERE PERFORMING A STUDY FOR ONE LOAD, IT WAS EASY TO IDENTIFY THIS IS THE, THIS LOAD IS THE CAUSE OF THE VOLTAGE COLLAPSE OR THE ISSUE, THE VOLTAGE, THE LOW VOLTAGE PROBLEM.
THE SHIP FACTOR WORKS GREAT IF IT'S A THERMAL CONSTRAINT, BUT O OTHER TYPES OF CONSTRAINTS, STABILITY CONSTRAINTS, IT, IT'S NOT SO EASY.
UH, I THINK THAT THE WAY THAT WE'RE ENVISIONING THAT IS THERE, THERE WOULD BE SOME ENGINEERING JUDGMENT IN DETERMINING WHAT, WHAT LOADS ARE, UH, IMPACTING AND CAUSING THAT NON NON CONVERGENCE OR STABILITY ISSUE.
UH, SLIDE 40, JEFF AND THEN MATT, YOU HAD PROMISED A DISCUSSION ON GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION, SO THERE THIS WILL REQUIRE FILING OF A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION TO IMPLEMENT BATCH ZERO A AND B TO SOME EXTENT.
I THINK THESE ARE LONG-TERM CHANGES THAT THE TEAM WAS BRINGING FORWARD.
I DON'T THINK THIS IS A BEFORE BATCH EIGHT, ZERO A AND B.
SO YOU DON'T SEE ANY NEED FOR IMMEDIATE RULE CHANGES OR EXCEPTION FROM RULES TO IMPLEMENT BATCH ZERO IN ANY WAY.
I THINK, UM, MY, UH, LEGAL EXPERT HAS STEPPED OUTTA THE ROOM, SO WE'LL COME BACK.
GOOD TIMING QUESTION AND, UM, ASK HER.
OKAY, WE'LL COME BACK TO THAT AT THE END.
THE, THE REASON WHY I ASK IS BECAUSE, UM, ONE, THANK YOU FOR THE RULES ACCOMMODATING, UH, CO-LOCATION WITH NEW GENERATION AND CLR RULES, JUST LOOKING AT THE MEGAWATT CAPACITIES THAT YOU GUYS ARE EXPECTED, UH, IN BATCH, BATCH ZERO A AROUND 40 GIGAWATTS, AND THEN THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT IN B IS ADDING ANOTHER A HUNDRED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE SOLVE THAT PROBLEM WITHOUT THESE RULES, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO HAVE NEW GENERATION, WE HAVE TO HAVE THESE LARGE LOADS BRING RELIABLE SOLUTIONS ALONG WITH THEM BECAUSE WE CANNOT SERVE 140 NEW GIGAWATTS OF LOAD IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I WAS WONDERING AND INQUIRING WHY ERCOT IS NOT MORE INTERESTED, INCLUDING THE RULES
[04:55:01]
FOR CLRS AND CO-LOCATION WITH NEW GEN IN BATCH, UH, ZERO B, BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE GONNA NEED THEM AND IF THERE'S A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION THAT WAS GONNA BE PURSUED, THAT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING YOU COULD ADD IN THAT REQUEST, UM, OR PURSUE MORE URGENT RULE CHANGES TO GET THOSE IN PLACE BY, UH, THE TIME THAT WE START BATCH ZERO BII THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED THAT.YEAH, I, I THINK, UM, SO I THINK WE ARE INTERESTED IN THAT.
I THINK THAT THE CHALLENGE IS THIS IS NOT JUST A, UH, IF WE GO DOWN THE GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION ROUTE, IT, IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF ERCOT HAS A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THE PLANNING GUIDE PROTOCOLS SAY THAT THIS IS.
WE NEED RULES IN PLACE SO THAT, UH, THE, THE LOADS THAT ARE CHOOSING TO EITHER BE A CLR OR TO, TO BE UNDER THESE CO-LOCATED RULES THAT, THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE AGREEING TO, RIGHT? YOU, YOU, YOU DON'T WANT TO WRITE A BLANK CHECK NOT KNOWING WHAT, WHAT YOU'RE AGREEING TO.
AND SO WE, WE HAVE TO SIT DOWN AND WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND AS, AS WE HAVE LAID IT OUT, WE, WE THINK THAT THE SOONEST WE CAN WORK THROUGH THOSE DETAILS IS LIKELY A SEPTEMBER BOARD APPROVAL OF THOSE REVISION REQUESTS.
AND WE EVEN THINK THAT THAT'S AGGRESSIVE, BUT WE, WE THINK IT IS DOABLE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE BELIEVE THAT WE'VE GOTTA HAVE THAT, THOSE RULES IN PLACE SO THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY'RE AGREEING TO.
UH, AND THEN SPECIFIC TO THIS SLIDE, STILL NOT COMPLETELY CLEAR WHY YOU, WHY ERCOT EVEN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT SCENARIO ONE? LIKE IF YOU'RE PROPOSING ESSENTIALLY AN ISLANDED CONFIGURATION THAT WILL NEVER TOUCH THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, WHAT DO YOU STU WHAT'S THE TSP EVEN STUDYING? THERE'S NOT NEVER GONNA BE AN INTERCONNECTION BUILT.
SO YEAH, WHAT IS THE POINT OF ERCOT REQUIRING CUSTOM CUSTOMERS IN SCENARIO ONE TO DO ANYTHING? SO, SO THIS IS, UM, SCENARIO ONE IS YOU ARE STILL SYNCHRONOUSLY CONNECTED TO THE GRID.
OH, UH, IF YOU WERE THE GENERATION, YEAH.
IF YOU WERE NOT SYNCHRONOUSLY CONNECTED, IF YOU ARE TRULY ISLANDED MODE, I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO KNOW THAT, UH, AS, AS PART OF THIS, THAT YOU, YOU WOULD STILL GO THROUGH A, A SEPARATE, UH, PROCESS FOR WHEN YOU WOULD WANT TO CONNECT THAT LOAD AND THAT GENERATION TO THE GRID.
BUT IF, IF YOU'RE IN ISLANDED MODE, UM, I THINK, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, ANYONE, BUT I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE NEED TO, THAT THAT'S NOT SCENARIO ONE.
I THINK SCENARIO ONE IS YOU, YOU, YOU'RE, YOU'RE STILL FOR STABILITY PURPOSES OR WHATEVER, YOU'RE, YOU'RE STILL SYNCHRONOUSLY CONNECTED TO THE GRID, UM, THROUGH THE GENERATION SIDE.
GENERATION AND LOAD IS SYNCHRONOUSLY CONNECTED TO THE GRID, BUT, UM, YEAH, BUT THAT MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE.
IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE, THEN WE READ THIS AS LIKE A COMPLETELY ISLANDED CONFIGURATION.
IT'S LIKE, WHY, WHY WOULD YOU EVEN NEED TO LOOK AT IT THEN? OKAY.
AND THEN I'M STILL, UH, STILL CONFUSED AS TO WHY WE CAN'T, AND I KNOW YOU ANSWERED THIS QUESTION WHEN I ASKED IT THE FIRST TIME.
SYNCHRONIZE, UH, THE BATCH STUDY WITH RTP, WITH RPG, WHY WE CAN'T INCLUDE THE REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU NEED TO CONDUCT IN RTP INTO THE BATCH STUDIES SO THAT THERE'S SOME STREAMLINING OF THESE PROCESSES.
AND I, I DO SEE ON THE R PG SLIDE THAT THE BATCH STUDY WILL ESSENTIALLY ACT AS ERCOT INDEPENDENT REVIEW.
UM, BUT SO ASKING THE QUESTION DIFFERENTLY, WHY CAN'T WE INCORPORATE THE REQUIREMENTS THAT ERCOT NEEDS TO ACCOMPLISH SATISFYING THE NERC STANDARDS IN, IN THE RTP THROUGH THE BATCH PROCESS? UM, THE, UM, SO THE, THE REASON IS, UH, THE RTP IS A MUCH MORE, UH, IT'S A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY.
SO YOU ARE, YOU'RE STUDYING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE LOADS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE PLANNING FORECAST THE BATCH STUDY IS LOOKING AT.
SO, SO IF WE'D SAY THAT THE, UH, RTP IS LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, GO BACK TO SLIDE 16, IT, IT'S LOOKING COMPREHENSIVELY ACROSS THE SYSTEM, WHAT DO WE NEED TO SERVE THE 94 GIGAWATTS? AND IT, IT'S COVERING EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THE TPL REQUIREMENTS.
UH, THE, THE BATCH STUDY IS JUST LOOKING AT WHAT DO WE INCREMENTALLY NEED TO SERVE? YOU KNOW, I'M ADDING ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, EIGHT, EIGHT GIGAWATTS IN THIS BATCH.
WHAT, WHAT DO I NEED TO SERVE JUST THAT EIGHT? I'M, I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE OTHER 94.
I'M, I'M, I'M REALLY JUST WORRIED ABOUT WHAT IS INCREMENTALLY, WHAT DO I NEED TO SERVE THAT ADDITIONAL EIGHT GIGAWATTS? BUT IT'S, IT, IT DOESN'T COVER ALL TPL REQUIREMENTS, UH, WITH, WITH ALL THE, YOU KNOW, SENSITIVITIES AND, AND THINGS THAT GO ALONG WITH THAT.
IT'S, IT, IT'S, IT'S THE, UM, UH, YEAH, IT, IT, IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, INCREMENTALLY WHAT DO I NEED TO SERVE
[05:00:01]
THAT? AND, AND SO IF YOU WERE TO TRY TO PUT ALL OF THAT, WHAT'S IN THAT, THAT TPL ASSESSMENT? AN RTP WITHIN A A BATCH PROCESS, IT WOULD, UH, EXTEND THE TIMEOUT.SO YOU'D, YOU'D SLOW DOWN THE BATCH STUDIES.
NEXT WAS CHRIS MONTES, BUT I JUST SAW HIM WALK OUT.
CHRIS, YOU ONLINE? YEAH, I'M ONLINE IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
I HAVE TO BE IN THREE PLACES AT ONCE AND WE HAVE A LOT TO DISCUSS.
SO, UM, I THINK PARTLY LOST MY ORIGINAL SET OF QUESTIONS AS WE, AS WE WENT ALONG WITH THIS.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS SOMEWHAT MISSING, ALTHOUGH THE FLOW CHARTS THAT Y'ALL PROVIDED AT DESCRIBING THE PROCESS, AT LEAST START TO REALIZE THAT IS THE LACK OF UNIFORMITY IN TERMS OF LOAD RELATIONSHIPS WITH TDS PS, HOW THOSE ARE CONSIDERED FIRM AND WHICH, AND THEN IN TURN, WHAT ERCOT QUOTATION MARKS FINDS SATISFACTORY TO MEET SOME OF THESE INTERIM REQUIREMENTS BOTH FOR THE BATCHES AS WELL AS IN THE LONG TERM FOR, UM, WHAT WE THINK OF AN OVERALL BATCH PROCESS.
AND SO TWO COMPONENTS WITHIN THIS, YOU KNOW, THESE, THESE SORT OF DESCRIBE AT A HIGH LEVEL WHAT Y'ALL ARE CONSIDERING.
AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT AND UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S MORE THOUGHT WITHIN THAT.
BUT THEN THE SECOND THING IS ACTUALLY ADMINISTRATIVELY IMPLEMENTING IT NEEDS TO BE A CONVERSATION PROBABLY STARTING TO HAVE NOW IN TERMS OF SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS OR COMMUNICATIONS AROUND THAT.
JUST BECAUSE, UM, LIKE THE EMAIL PROCESS FOR APPROVAL RIGHT, IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO GET TO NAVIGATE THE LEVEL OF INFORMATION THAT ERCOT IS WANTING.
I THINK, UM, ONE MORE NOTE IS IT MUCH OF THIS IS, IS MUCH OF THE DECISIONS HERE ARE BENCHED WITHIN, WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN SIX MONTHS AND HAVING TO DO THIS WITHIN SIX MONTHS.
WHILE I APPRECIATE Y'ALL OFFER INTERCONNECTION CERTAINTY WITHOUT THE RPG PROJECTS OR AT LEAST A PERSPECTIVE SET OF RPG PROJECTS ARE NOT REALLY CERTAIN FROM A LOAD'S POINT OF VIEW.
AND MAYBE THIS IS PAST EXPERIENCE THAT'S BEING PROJECTED ONTO FUTURE EXPERIENCE AND THAT'S NOT FAIR.
BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF ER CAR WERE WILLING TO EXTEND THE TIMELINE AND LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, OKAY, WHAT IF WE DID HARMONIZE SOME OF THESE POINTS AT THE, AS STAKEHOLDERS HAVE KIND OF CONSISTENTLY REQUESTED IN THIS PROCESS, WHAT IS THAT TRADE OFF IN TERMS OF TIME DURATION AND, AND, AND FEASIBILITY IN THAT MOMENT? AND I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO GET INTO THE ENDLESS RESTUDIES OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTS.
I APPRECIATE THE DESIRE FOR A CUTOFF THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN, IN OUR CUTS PRESENTATION, BUT IF WE DO ONE RE STUDY AND WE ARE STILL WITHIN A YEAR CYCLE OR LESS AND WE GET THAT CERTAINTY ON AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, THE TYPES, SOME, SOME PARAMETER OF THE TYPES OF UPGRADES AND, AND THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, I THINK THAT'S BETTER FOR OVERALL MARKET TRANSPARENCY AND YOU CAN STILL HAVE THE COMMENT PROCESS THAT YOU, YOU SEEM TO VALUE ALLOTTED WITHIN IT.
THANK, THANKS FOR THE COMMENT, CHRIS.
UM, DURGA FROM SOFTBANK ENERGY AGAIN.
UM, I TOTALLY ECHO WITH WHAT, UH, CARRIE SAID ABOUT A FEW PROJECTS BEING IN LIMBO.
UM, THOSE PROJECTS HAVE BEEN STUDIED FOR A WHILE.
THE STUDIES HAVE BEEN APPROVED.
UM, BUT WE HAVE BEEN ASKING THE LSC OR THE TSP FOR AN AGREEMENT.
UM, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF MISCOMMUNICATION BETWEEN I THINK OUR CORE T-S-P-L-S-C ON WHAT THE LANGUAGE SHOULD BE FOR THE AGREEMENT.
UH, SOME OF THEIR, SOME OF THEM ARE BEHIND THE METER, RIGHT? THERE IS NO NEED FOR AN EXTENSION OF THE FACILITY.
SO THERE IS A LOT OF CONFUSION AROUND THAT AND THERE WAS A LOT OF TIME SPENT ON NEGOTIATION AND ALL OF THAT.
AND THEN THE BATCH PROCESS CAME INTO BEING AN, AND IT WAS ASKED OF US TO HAVE ALL THE AGREEMENTS IN PLACE BY JAN 28TH.
BUT THE THING IS, WE SHOWED INTENTION BY ASKING FOR THE AGREEMENTS.
WE WERE ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN THE, UH, AGREEMENT NEGOTIATION.
SO THE REQUEST HERE IS TO EITHER ADD THESE PROJECTS WHICH HAVE STUDIES APPROVED AND THEY HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND, THEY CAN PROVE THAT THEY HAVE BOOTS ON THE GROUND.
UM, AND THEY SHOWED THAT THEY HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY BEING ENGAGED IN, IN NEGOTIATIONS.
EITHER THEY ARE MODELED AS FIRM IN BASE ZERO A OR THEY'RE GRANDFATHERED.
UM, BECAUSE
[05:05:01]
ON THE GROUND FOR THOSE PROJECTS.UM, AND IT WAS STUCK BECAUSE OF, UH, LACK OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN, UM, MAYBE THE ENTITIES.
SO ANY, ANY COMMENTS ON THAT, JEFF? I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAN WHAT WE'VE, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED EARLIER.
JESSE GOSSET REPRESENTING VWI HERE.
UH, I'M GLAD I AM AT THIS POINT IN THE QUEUE 'CAUSE MY QUESTION HAS DEFINITELY EVOLVED OVER THE LAST COUPLE HOURS.
UM, MAYBE REAL QUICK, JUST A CLARIFYING QUESTION BACK TO BATCH ZERO A, IF MY UNDERSTANDING IS CORRECT, WE BELIEVE THERE'S ROUGHLY 35 GIGAWATTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO ENERGIZE IN THE NEXT YEAR-ISH THAT WILL NOT REQUIRE UPGRADES OR ARE BEING LISTED AS CLRS.
IS THAT IN GENERALITIES A CORRECT, UH, UNDERSTANDING? YEAH, I THINK IT WAS.
UM, I CAN GO BACK TO THE LINE REAL QUICK.
I, I I WOULD SAY IT IS MAYBE OFF BY A DOZEN GIGAWATTS OR SO.
YEAH, SO, SO 39 GIGAWATTS, UH, WOULD NOT SAY THAT THEY DON'T REQUIRE UPGRADES OR ARE CLRS IT, IT'S JUST THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH THESE STUDY PROCESS AND, UH, WHICHEVER SOME, SOME VERSION OF A PRIOR STUDY PROCESS AND THEY HAVE COMPLETED THAT STUDY PROCESS AND WE DON'T SEE A NEED TO GO BACK AND RE-LOOK AT THOSE STUDIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN FULLY STUDIED IN, IN THE PREVIOUS PROCESS.
SO, AND FOR INSTANCE, MAYBE THEY HAVE AN UPGRADE REQUIRED THAT IS UNDERWAY OR GONNA BE COMPLETE IN TIME FOR IZATION.
AND, AND I THINK NOW THIS IS GREAT BECAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE CLRS.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS THE, UH, THE SYNCING OF BATCH ZERO B AS IT RELATES TO THE OLD CLR.
WELL, THE CURRENT CLR METHODOLOGY VERSUS WHAT WE EXPECT TO COME IN AT THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, NOT IN TIME FOR BATCH ZERO B, UM, BECAUSE WE WILL BE SEEING LOTS OF LOADS THAT DO REQUIRE UPGRADES, THERMAL, AND OTHERWISE, THAT PROBABLY WON'T BE COMING ONLINE UNTIL 20 29, 20 30, 20 31, UH, WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ACL R.
AND IF I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY, WITHOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO SWITCH BETWEEN CLR AND FIRM, UM, AND ALL THE DATA CENTER PROJECTS THAT I'VE WORKED ON HAVE BEEN ADJACENT TO, THERE'S A RELATIVELY SLOW RAMP WHEN YOU GET TO THESE LARGE PROJECT SIZES, OFTENTIMES A HUNDRED MEGAWATTS, 200 MEGAWATTS EVERY THREE MONTHS, SIX MONTHS, WHAT HAVE YOU, RIGHT? NOBODY'S COMING ONLINE WITH A GIGAWATT IN, IN ONE QUARTER.
UM, SO OFTENTIMES THAT FLEXIBLE LOAD RAMP IS GOING TO WORK QUITE NICELY WITH THE ABILITY TO BE ACL R, UH, OR HAVE SOME SORT OF A CONNECTED MANAGED PHILOSOPHY BEHIND IT.
SO THAT FEELS LIKE MAYBE A GAP IN THE CURRENT PROCESS FOR, UH, BATCH ZERO B, NOT HAVING THE CLARITY OF THE EVENTUAL STATUS QUO CLR PROCESS AND THE ABILITY OF SOME OF THESE LARGE LOAD REQUESTS TO KIND OF PICK AND CHOOSE WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE AS WE MOVE THROUGH THIS, UM, INEVITABLY MESSY TRANSITION PROCESS.
YEAH, AND THEN I, I, I WOULD SAY ERCOT WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD HAVE THE CLR RULES IN PLACE BY ZERO B.
UH, I JUST, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S FEASIBLE RIGHT NOW.
UH, IT, BUT THE EXISTING RULES ARE IN PLACE, RIGHT? AS FROM A CLR STANDPOINT, BUT THE EXISTING RULES, THE, THE, THERE WERE THOSE, UM, KEY COMPONENTS THAT AG TALKED ABOUT THAT THE, THE EXISTING RULES DO NOT COVER.
AND WE, WE, WE NEED TO GET THOSE, UH, WE, WE NEED TO LAY THOSE OUT ON PAPER AND HAVE EVERYBODY AGREE TO THOSE.
I, I THINK BEFORE WE CAN DO THAT, BECAUSE THE, THE, THE HOW THAT OFFER MITIGATION OR, OR WHATEVER PROCESS WE USE, I, I, I THINK LOADS THE LOADS THAT ARE GOING TO BE, UH, THAT ARE DESIRING TO BE CLRS, THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO KNOW HOW THAT WORKS BECAUSE IT WILL IMPACT THE PRICE THAT THEY PAY.
UH, IS, SO WE, WE'VE, I THINK WE CAN'T JUST MOVE FORWARD WITH, UH, ASSUMING THAT, THAT THE LOADS ARE GOING TO AGREE TO THAT WHEN WE, WE DON'T HAVE THOSE RULES ON PAPER.
AND IN THEORY, BATCH ZERO B IS ALREADY IN THE QUEUE, HAS ALREADY DESIGNATED WHETHER THEY'RE A CLR OR NOT UNDER OSTENSIBLY THE, THE, THE CURRENT CLR RULES.
AND SO I THINK THAT MAY BE A CHALLENGE HERE AS WE GET THESE STUDIES COMING BACK FROM B AND FOLKS ARE SORT OF STUCK WITH WHAT THEY CHOSE.
AND WITH ALL OF THE PRIVATE MITIGATION SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE STARTING TO SEE ON THE MARKET, UH,
[05:10:01]
THERE COULD BE AN ABILITY TO SAY, HEY, I'M PERFECTLY FINE MANAGING THAT LOAD RAMP.I'LL TAKE THE 200 MEGAWATTS IN 2027, I'LL HAVE PRIVATE MITIGATION TO ENERGIZE UP TO 500 MEGAWATTS AHEAD OF TIME, KNOWING THAT EVENTUALLY YOU'LL BUILD OUT THOSE UPGRADES THAT ALLOW ME FULL, YOU KNOW, AIRCO MANAGED FIRM LOAD IN 2029.
BUT TO THE, TO THE SECOND BULLET, THERE, THERE IS NO WAY TODAY FOR A, A LOAD TO COMMIT TO BEING A CLR IN, IN THE FUTURE SO THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT IN THE STUDY.
AND, AND SO WE, WE HAVE TO GET THAT BINDING AGREEMENT DOCUMENTATION INTO THE PROTOCOLS SO THAT, THAT THEY CAN COMMIT TO THAT.
SO IS IT, OH, SO MAYBE THAT'S JUST MY MISUNDERSTANDING.
THERE IS THE, WE'VE SUNSET NOW WE'RE WAITING FOR THE NEW CLR RULES AND THIS MIGHT BE A DEAD ZONE WHERE WE HAVE AN ENTIRE, ANOTHER 30 ODD GIGAWATTS OF PROJECTS THAT ARE NOT AS FLEXIBLE AS THE PRIOR AND NOT AS FLEXIBLE AS THE LATTER, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, UNLESS WE CAN RETROACTIVELY YEAH.
NOT SURE I UNDER UNDERSTOOD YOUR QUESTION.
BUT TO, TO TODAY, UH, UN UNDER THE CURRENT RULES AND EVEN UNDER 1188, THERE, THERE IS NO WAY TO BECOME A CLR UNTIL YOU ARE ALREADY ENERGIZED.
SO, SO WE, WE NEED SOME MECHANISM FOR LOADS TO TELL US UPFRONT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO COMMIT TO B-A-C-L-R, BECAUSE TODAY YOU CAN'T DO THAT UNTIL YOU'RE ALREADY ENERGIZED, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WELL AFTER THE STUDIES.
SO MAYBE THAT WOULD BE THE BASIC COMMENT IS THE ABILITY TO RETROACTIVELY DESIGNATE AS A COR IN THE FUTURE FOR BATCH ZERO B, WHO WILL ALREADY BE MID-FLIGHT IN THEIR STUDY PROCESS.
OR POST STUDY, BUT THREE YEARS PRIOR TO ENERGIZATION.
SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH, WE, WE'LL HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT
UH, MIKE TABI, IS THAT THE NEXT ONE? YES.
UH, MIKE TABI IS YOUR REMISSION GRID.
UM, UH, REGARDING THAT, UH, 28 DATE, WHICH I'M SORRY, I'M GONNA POWER TO PUT A COMMENT ON THAT.
UH, I MEAN, I KIND OF UNDERSTOOD, I THINK I KIND OF UNDERSTOOD THE PROBLEM STATEMENT, RIGHT? AND WHY YOU ARE TRYING TO DO WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, BUT WHY THE SAME RATIONALE CANNOT BE USED FOR A FUTURE DATE ON WHICH THE BATCH STUDY WILL ACTUALLY BE APPROVED.
I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND, UH, STOP THAT KIND OF STUDY AND THAT ENTIRE MESS, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO WHY THE SAME RATIONALE CAN BE APPLIED TO WHATEVER THE CUTOFF DATE IS IN THE FUTURE, LET'S JUST CALL IT FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE, FEBRUARY 20TH.
UH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY QUESTION.
WE DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IT RIGHT NOW, BUT OKAY.
UH, THE NEXT QUESTION THAT I HAVE WAS, UH, REGARDING ENERGIZATION DATE, BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE CRITERIA FOR THE, FOR THE BATCHES.
UM, IS THIS JUST A DATE ON A PAPER OR ARE YOU GONNA ACTUALLY REQUEST MORE READINESS CRITERIA? FOR EXAMPLE, SHOW ME THE BILL THAT YOU ORDERED BREAKERS OR, UH, DELIVERY RECEIPT OF YOUR TRANSFORMERS, OR IT IS JUST A DATE ON A PAPER? THAT'S MY, YEAH, FIRST QUESTION.
IT, IT, IT IS THE DATE THAT WE HAVE IN OUR RECORDS RIGHT NOW.
IF WE WERE TO TRY TO EXPAND THAT TO, TO SOME OTHER, YOU KNOW, SHOW, SHOW ME THAT YOU HAVE BREAKERS, WE WOULD NEED TO GIVE THE LOADS TIME TO PROVE THAT, WHICH WOULD DELAY THE START OF THE STUDY.
SO, SO, SO WE CAN'T, WE, WE, WE DON'T HAVE TIME.
IF, IF WE WANT TO MOVE INTO THIS QUICKLY SO THAT WE DON'T DELAY ENERGIZATION FOR THOSE PROJECTS, THEN WE, WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO ASK, ASK FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE DON'T, DON'T ALREADY HAVE.
THE THE WAY THAT WE CAPTURE THAT THOUGH, IS ON THE BACKEND IS IF THOSE LOADS CAN'T MEET THE, THOSE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS FROM SB SIX THROUGH 58 4 81, THEN THEY DON'T GO INTO BACHELOR OB.
SO, SO THEY, THEY, THEY GET SOMEWHAT OF A FREE PASS BE BECAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS A TRANSITIONAL STUDY FOR, THINK OF IT AS AN EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING LARGE LOAD, INTER LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROCESS, WHERE TODAY WE DON'T REQUIRE THAT INFORMATION.
SO IT'S, IT'S AN EXTENSION OF THE EXISTING PROCESS, BUT WE WILL TRUE THAT UP WHEN WE GET TO ZERO B USING THE 58 41 REQUIREMENTS.
AND THEN SPEAKING OF THAT FREE PASS, UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS ON THE CURRENT RULING OR THE KIND OF DRAFT RULING NET FOR UPGRADE COST WILL BE ALLOCATED TO THE LARGE LOADS, RIGHT? UM, WITH THAT IN MIND, IF I'M A LARGE
[05:15:01]
LOAD AND I WITHDRAW FROM THE QUEUE, LET'S JUST CALL IT QUEUE, THEN WHO IS GONNA PICK UP THE ALLOCATED COST TO ME? BECAUSE I KIND OF REMEMBER YOU SAID TO BLAKE QUESTION TO THAT THERE IS NOT ANY REAL STUDIES GOING TO BE REAL STUDY BECAUSE THAT'S A MESS THAT OTHER MARKETS HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS.RIGHT? SO THE INTENTION IS NOT TO DO A REAL STUDY, WHICH I KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT YOU GO TO THE RPG PROCESS, BUT THERE'S STILL SOMEBODY HAS TO PAY FOR THAT ALLOCATED COST, ASSUMING THIS IS STILL NEEDED, AND THAT COULD IMPACT THE INVESTMENT DECISIONS THAT THEY HAD ALREADY MADE AT THE END OF THE BATCH.
SO I, I THINK WHETHER IT IS A KAYAK KIND OF A SITUATION OR WHETHER IT'S FINANCIAL SECURITY, UM, I, I THINK THAT THAT'S STILL TBD THROUGH THE 58 41 RULE.
UM, BUT IF YOU, UH, SO I MEAN, IF IT BECOMES A KAYAK KIND OF A THING, THEN IF YOU'VE ALREADY COMMITTED TO THAT THEN AND YOU BACK OUT, YOU, YOU YOU'VE ALREADY PAID.
SO, AND SO THERE'S STILL A BIG QUEUE BEHIND YOU.
ONE LAST QUESTION AND THEN WE'RE GONNA ROLL OFF.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION, UH, WHAT COULD BE, IS THERE ANY SCENARIO THAT THE CLR IS NOT APPROVED AS PART OF THE BATCH PROCESS NOT APPROVED? UM, YOU MEAN THAT WE, THAT IT CANNOT GET ALLOCATED ANY MEGAWATTS? UH, THE, UM, IT, IT, IT COULD BE, I, I WOULDN'T SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT ALLOCATED ANY MEGAWATTS, BUT IT COULD BE, UM, YOU, YOU KNOW, THEORETICALLY THERE, THERE MAY BE A, A CONDITION IN WHICH THE, THE, THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM IS REALLY OVERLOADED AND YOU'RE MINIMUM LOAD HAS TO BE ZERO.
YOU, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO ZERO.
AND IF THE LOAD CANNOT DO THAT, THEN THE, THE LOAD MAY DECIDE.
NOW I, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T GO, YOU KNOW, I, I HAVE SOME MINIMUM AMOUNT OF CONSUMPTION.
I, I CAN'T GO ALL THE WAY TO ZERO.
AND SO IT'S THAT IF YOU'RE NOT, IF THE ALLOCATION'S BELOW THAT THRESHOLD, THEN THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT, WE'RE NOT TELLING THEM THAT THEY CAN'T CONNECT, BUT IT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT THEIR OWN CHOICE PERHAPS.
UH, THIS IS MONICA J FROM WESTRA.
I HAVE COUPLE OF QUICK QUESTIONS ON SLIDE 16.
JEFF, THIS WOULD PROBABLY BE AN EASY ONE.
CAN YOU PLEASE POINT ME TO THE, ANY, THE LA LOUD FORECAST REPORT I CAN USE TO RECONCILE THIS 94 GIGAWATT BASELINE TT? UH, YEAH, I THINK THAT THAT'S IN THE, UM, THE, YOU CAN SEE THE CDRI THINK THAT'S IN THE DECEMBER CDR.
AND LOOK FOR THE 2027 FORECAST FOR THAT, CORRECT? UM, I, I THINK SO, BUT, UM, UH, BUT I, I WOULD NEED TO DOUBLE CHECK IT.
UM, THE OTHER ONE IS ON SLIDE 17, IF I'M LOOKING AT THE BATCH ZERO TIMELINE AND THE QSA, IT LOOKS LIKE BATCH ZERO B WILL END, UM, COMPLETE BY FEB END.
AND THE LOADS THAT ARE LOOKING TO ENERGIZE IN Q3 2027 NEEDS TO START THE QSA BY FEB ONE.
SO HOW WILL THAT, YEAH, SO YEAH, I THINK IT'S, IT'S JANUARY, BUT IT, IT ADMITTEDLY IT IS A TIGHT, TIGHT TIME PERIOD.
UH, SO IT, IT'S, UM, SO I SHOULD SAY THE STUDY WILL BE DONE IN JANUARY, BUT THE COMMIT, IT'S A TIGHT TURNAROUND WINDOW TO COMMIT.
UH, AND SO ESSENTIALLY YOU'RE GOING TO BE COMMITTING AND PUTTING ALL OF YOUR IN INFORMATION IN, YOU KNOW, SUB SUBMITTING ALL OF YOUR INFORMATION SIMULTANEOUSLY TO GET INTO THE QSA.
SO THERE PROBABLY WON'T BE A MONTH GAP, I GUESS, IS IT'S, YEAH, JUST NOT A MONTH GAP THERE.
UH, AND THIS IS THE LAST ONE, I PROMISE.
UH, I AM LOOKING AT THE BATCH STUDY, UM, MAY SAY 23 OR WOULD BE FINE.
IT, IT DOESN'T MATTER, 23 OR THE ONE WITH THE ZERO A WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHEN, UH, JUST A CONFIRMATION ON HOW THE CURRENT PROCESS WORKS.
AND PROBABLY THAT'S CANNOT, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN ONGOING WHEN A LOAD THAT IS CO-LOCATING WITH AN EXISTING GENERATOR WHEN THAT LOAD IS STUDIED.
IS THE G ONE G MINUS ONE CONTINGENCY, DOES IT, IS IT LOOKING AT THE CO-LOCATED GENERATOR AS THE G MINUS ONE OR IS THE G MINUS ONE IN ADDITION TO TURNING OFF THE CO-LOCATED GENERATOR ON TOP OF THAT?
[05:20:02]
UH, NO, THAT IT WOULD JUST BE AND A AG, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I THINK IT'S, IT'S JUST THE, UH, THE, THE CO-LOCATED GENERATOR AS A SINGLE GENERATOR.WES HOY, WES HOYT, CENTER POINT ENERGY, UM, A AS A TSP, WHO HAS BEEN, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OUR LOAD CUSTOMERS AND TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, COMPLETE THE LLS PROCESS AND ESSENTIALLY GET THEM ACROSS THE GOAL LINE, UM, ONLY TO SEE THE CRITERIA COME OUT.
AND BASICALLY THE, THE GOAL LINE HAD MOVED.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME SUGGESTED, UM, COMMENTS TO THE BATCH ZERO A AND BATCH ZERO B CRITERIA.
UM, SOME HAVE ALREADY BEEN DISCUSSED.
ONE, ONE IN PARTICULAR THAT HASN'T COME UP YET IN ON THE BATCH ZERO A, UM, FOR THE LOAD THAT'S SUBJECT TO THE ACTUAL LOAD ALLOCATION.
UM, THE, THE CRITERIA SPECIFICALLY SAYS STUDY STATE STUDY APPROVED.
UM, WE WOULD SUGGEST CHANGING THAT TO SUBMITTED AS A TSP.
WE DO HAVE CONTROL OVER WHEN THAT IS SUBMITTED, BUT WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER WHEN THAT IS ACTUALLY APPROVED.
SO WE'D LIKE TO SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERED AS A CHANGE.
UM, I THINK WE ALSO WOULD SORT OF ECHO SOME OF THE OTHER COMMENTS THAT HAVE COME UP ABOUT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, PLANNING GUIDE SECTION NINE, YOU KNOW, AGREEMENT DEADLINES FOR BATCH ZERO A AND YOU KNOW, THE DEADLINES FOR BATCH ZERO B.
UM, AGAIN, STRUGGLING WITH THE, THE JANUARY 28TH DATE, UM, ON THAT, UM, FOR BATCH CRBI, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE INVALIDATING SOME STUDIES.
UM, I, I, I GET THAT VIEW, BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PROJECTS THAT ARE UNDER STUDY RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE VERY CLEARLY HAVE NO IMPACT, UM, ON OTHER LOADS.
UM, SO I THINK SOME SORT OF CONSIDERATION FOR THOSE LOAD CUSTOMERS NEEDS TO BE THOUGHT THROUGH BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS SUGGESTED HERE, THOSE, THOSE GUYS BASICALLY JUST GO ON HOLD UNTIL BATCH ONE AND SO REALLY CANNOT MOVE OR DO MUCH OF ANYTHING UNTIL, YOU KNOW, JANUARY OF 2027.
SO THOSE, THOSE ARE GONNA BE SOME OF OUR COMMENTS THAT WE SUBMIT.
ALRIGHT, UH, NATHAN GIOS, UH, IN THE ROOM, BUT I DO, UH, WORK WITH REGIS AND I THINK HE HAD TO JUMP.
ALL RIGHT, THIS IS BRANDON BRICKLEY WITH REGIS ENERGY.
UM, SO MY QUESTION IS KIND OF HIGH LEVEL JUST AROUND SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU, UM, WALKING THROUGH THE PROCESS WHERE IT STANDS.
I THINK AS A, AS A DEVELOPER, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THE PRIMARY THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS CERTAINTY OF SOME SORT, TIMELINE BEING ONE OF THOSE.
UH, YOU WALK THROUGH THE TIMELINE FROM THE ERCOT PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THE BIGGEST PIECE FOR US IN THE, UH, IN THE DEVELOPMENT WORLD IS, IS THAT IT'S A UNIFIED TIMELINE THAT INCLUDES THE, THE TDSP PROCESS.
AND SO I THINK MY ASK OR MY REQUEST WOULD BE THAT WHATEVER TIMELINE COMES OUT THAT IT INCORPORATES THAT TDSP PROCESS.
AND SO WHATEVER STUDIES ARE NEEDING TO BE DONE, THEY'RE EITHER DONE IN PARALLEL OR THERE'S A CLEAR TIMELINE FOR WHEN THOSE ARE OCCURRING.
WHETHER IT BE, YOU KNOW, PART, AND I THINK YOU HAVE A SLIDE, YOU, YOU DO HAVE A SLIDE ON, UH, THE ONES THAT ARE BEING DONE, YOU KNOW, SHORT CIRCUIT, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT A CLEAR TIMELINE FOR THOSE AS WELL SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT THAT UNIFIED TIMELINE LOOKS LIKE.
YOU KNOW, IF IT'S SIX MONTHS TO DO THE BATCH, BUT THERE'S AN, YOU KNOW, X NEXT TO THE, UH, THE INITIALS, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S A BIT CHALLENGING.
AND THEN NATHAN, IF YOU JUST JUMPED ON, YOU'RE WELCOME TO JUMP IN HERE.
AND THEN I THINK THE OTHER, THE OTHER LAST PIECE HERE IS, UH, THE TIMELINE FOR WE, YOU HAD ENERGIZATION MARKED ON THERE AND A COUPLE OTHERS HAVE TOUCHED ON THIS.
UM, BUT HAVING THAT TIMELINE ON, UM, ANY CONSTRUCTION THAT'S NEEDED, THAT'S ALSO NOT INCORPORATED INTO THAT.
I KNOW THAT'S, THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT, UH, TO PUT THAT INTO THE SAME TIMELINE.
BUT I THINK HAVING A STANDARDIZED, UM, MODEL THAT THAT'S, UH, REQUIRED.
SO HARD CODED APPLICATION PROCESS WITH CLEAR MODELING REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE UNIFIED ACROSS ALL T DSPS.
AND THEN ACCOUNTABILITY FOR, FOR THE TIMELINE.
UM, SO THAT IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE COMING TO THE TABLE WITH OUR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR WHATEVER IT IS IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF THE PROJECT, WE KNOW IF WE INSERT MONEY HERE, THEN WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE CHANCE OF A PROJECT HERE.
YEAH, THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS.
UH, AARON RASMUSSEN? YEAH, THIS IS, UH, CHAD BURNETT WITH A AP TEXAS.
UH, AARON HELPED ME GET IN THE CHAT.
SO I ACTUALLY HAVE THREE QUESTIONS.
UM, THE FIRST ONE ON SLIDE 16, YOU GUYS KEPT REFERENCING, UM, THE IDEA
[05:25:01]
THAT THIS IS THE MAXIMUM CAPACITY BY, UM, EACH GROUP, BUT THAT YOU WERE EXPECTING NOT ALL OF THEM WOULD LIKE, SOME OF THOSE WOULD FALL OUT.I, I GUESS MY, MY FIRST QUESTION OR COMMENT IS WHY ARE WE INCLUDING LOADS THAT WE THINK COULD FALL OUT? BECAUSE THAT, THAT SEEMS TO BE KIND OF WHAT GOT US IN THIS FIRST, IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IS THERE SOME OTHER GATING CRITERIA SO THAT WE COULD BE CERTAIN, IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO THROUGH BATCH ZERO, THERE'S NO CHANCE OF YOU FALLING OUT AND I'VE GOT, I, I CAN LET YOU ANSWER OR I CAN ANSWER MY, UH, ASK MY OTHER QUESTIONS AND YOU CAN COME BACK.
I, WHICHEVER IS EASIER FOR YOU.
WELL, YEAH, I'LL JUST HIT IT REAL QUICK.
I, I THINK THE, UM, THE, THE, THE REASON IS WE, SO WE, WE, WE THINK THAT ULTIMATELY THE 58 4 81 INTERMEDIATE AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS THAT, THAT THOSE ARE THE APPROPRIATE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CHALLENGE IS WE DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION FOR ALL OF THE LARGE LOAD INTERCONNECTION PROJECTS THAT ARE IN, IN THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT HAVE LLI NUMBERS AND, AND SO ON.
WE, WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THAT INFORMATION TODAY.
SO IF WE WERE TO WAIT AND DO SAY AN RFI TO GET THAT INFORMATION, THAT DELAY THE START OF BATCH ZERO A, WHICH WOULD DE DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF IT.
SO I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S ULTIMATELY THE, THE REASON FOR THAT.
UM, SO I GUESS MY SECOND QUESTION, IF YOU GO TO SLIDE 45, AND IF I'M INTERPRETING THIS THIRD BULLET TO THE LEFT, WHEN IT SAYS THE RTP WILL NOT INCLUDE LARGE LOADS THAT HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH A BATCH STUDY.
AND SO I'M, I'M SITTING HERE THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE LOAD FORECASTING RULE MAKING THE 54 OR 58 4 80.
THIS SEEMS LIKE, WELL TWO THINGS I WANNA UNDERSTAND.
FIRST, ARE WE SAYING THAT IF YOU DIDN'T GET IN BATCH ZERO BECAUSE OF THE JANUARY 28TH, THAT YOU WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE 27 RTP? 'CAUSE WE'VE ALREADY GOT THE COMPLIANCE PLAN FOR 26 RTPS.
SO LOADS WOULD NOT BE, IF YOU DIDN'T GET IN THE JANUARY 28TH, YOU WILL NOT BE IN AN RTP UNTIL THE 28TH.
RTP IS, AM I INTERPRETING THE CALENDAR RIGHT ON THIS? UH, SO I HAVEN'T LAID THAT OUT, BUT I, I THINK THAT IS CORRECT, THAT IF, IF YOU WERE NOT EITHER FIRM IN BATCH ZERO OR GOT A MEGAWATT ALLOCATION IN BATCH ZERO, THEN I, I THINK IT'S RIGHT.
YOU SHOULD NOT BE IN THE 27 RTP.
AND AGAIN, MY, MY ONLY COMMENT ON THAT IS I THINK GIVEN THE CURRENT RULEMAKING THAT'S UP FOR ADOPTION ON FRIDAY MM-HMM
THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ADDITIONAL LOAD FORECASTING CRITERIA THAT'S NOT IN THE COMMISSION RULES.
AND SO I'M JUST CUR LIKE I UNDERSTOOD, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER ABOUT YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE RULEMAKING ON THE INTERCONNECTION, BUT THIS SEEMS LIKE WE'RE INTRODUCING A WHOLE NEW CRITERIA RIGHT AT THE END THAT'S NOT IN THE CURRENT PROPOSAL FOR ADOPTION.
SO I SEE IT AS ALIGNED BECAUSE THE, UM, UH, AT LEAST SAY THE WAY THAT JEFF IS READING IT, 58 4 80 POINTS BACK TO THE INTERCONNECTION AGREEMENT FROM 58 4 81, TO GET TO THAT POINT THAT YOU HAVE, THAT YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH AN INTERCONNECTION STUDY PROCESS.
SO, SO IT 58 41 IS ASSUMING THAT YOU WERE FOLLOWING SOME INTERCONNECTION PROCESS THAT IS CRITICAL FOR KNOWING WHAT MEGAWATTS ARE, SHOULD, SHOULD BE INCLUDED BECAUSE THE, THE, YOU, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT MEGAWATTS HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED.
MY LAST QUESTION, UM, LET'S ASSUME THAT, UM, WHAT IS ALLOCATED THROUGH THE BATCH FOR A LOAD IS LESS THAN THE LLIS STUDY WENT THROUGH MM-HMM
SO I'VE HEARD A COUPLE THINGS.
IS THE LLIS STUDY TRASHED, OR AFTER YEAR SIX YOU GET THE FULL AMOUNT THAT YOU WERE REQUESTING? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE HAVE, UH, GONE THROUGH THE EXISTING YEP.
LLIS PROCESS? UH, I WOULD SAY TREATMENT IS, I THINK, UM, THE SAME AS IT IS TODAY.
SO IF YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THE EXISTING PROCESS AND YOU HAVE A STUDY THAT SAYS YOU WERE, UH, I DON'T KNOW, WE DON'T USE THIS TERM, BUT IT, IT'S EFFECTIVELY YOU ARE ALLOCATED TO USE A, A BATCH STUDY TERM, YOU'RE ALLOCATED CERTAIN MEGAWATTS.
WE, WE KNOW TODAY THAT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE LOADS ARE ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE ALLOCATED THOSE MEGAWATTS UNTIL THEY HAVE MET IN, IN THE ONE 15 PROCESS UNTIL THEY'VE MET EVERYTHING IN 9.5.
SO I, I I I SEE THAT, THAT, UH, PRINCIPLE CARRIES,
[05:30:04]
BUT IF, I GUESS I'M JUST, BUT MATHEMATICALLY, IF THEY MEET ALL THOSE CRITERIA, I'M JUST SAYING IF, IF THE BATCH COMES UP WITH A NUMBER THAT IS LESS THAN WHAT THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED, LIKE YEAH.IS IT YEAR SIX WHEN THEY GET TO GO BACK TO THEIR INITIAL REQUEST? YES.
YOU, YOU GET YOUR FULL, FULL MEGAWATTS.
UH, GIDEON, UM, HELLO, I'M GIDEON.
UM, TODAY I'M COMING TO YOU AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE TBGA.
WE'RE AT C SIX AND OUR MEMBERS ARE THE MOST FLEXIBLE NON FIRM GRID, UH, WHO ARE COMMITTED TO WORKING FOR THE TEXAS RATE PAYERS.
SO MY QUESTION IS AROUND, UH, THE CLR CONSTRUCT.
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE GOT BATCH ZERO A REALLY NARROWED IN, AND I SAW SOME WORDS THAT SAYS IT IS UNLIKELY, BUT I DID NOT SEE A CERTAINTY STATEMENT THAT THE CLRP 1 34 WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE BATCH ZERO A.
IS IT JUST A WORKLOAD ISSUE? I I THINK IT'S A, IT IS A TIMING ISSUE.
I, I, I GUESS IN PART YOU COULD SAY IT'S A WORKLOAD ISSUE, BUT I, I THINK IT'S ALSO A, UH, IT'S A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS.
WE, WE HAVE TO WRITE THOSE RULES AND I THINK, AGAIN, THERE'S TWO CRITICAL PIECES THERE.
SO ONE IS WHAT IS THAT, WHAT DOES THAT OFFER MITIGATION SOLUTION OR SOME SIMILAR CONCEPT TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT A HIGH PRICE DOESN'T OVERRIDE THE RELIABILITY, UH, A HIGH OFFER PRICE.
UH, AND, AND THEN IT IS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, TODAY WE, WE, UH, IS WHAT I SAID A MINUTE AGO IS YOU CAN'T BECOME A CLR UNTIL YOU AFTER YOU ARE ALREADY ENERGIZED TODAY.
WE, WE NEED SOME KIND OF ARRANGEMENT.
WE, WE NEED SOME KIND OF BINDING AGREEMENT MM-HMM
UH, SO THAT, UH, WE, WE KNOW UPFRONT THAT, UH, A LOAD THAT WANTS TO BE A CLR CAN, THEY'RE, THEY'RE GOING TO COMMIT TO DO THAT WITH CERTAINTY.
AND, AND SO THAT, I THINK WRITING, WRITING THOSE RULES, WE, WE CAN WRITE THEM ON PAPER, BUT WE, WE'VE GOTTA GO THROUGH THAT STAKEHOLDER PROCESS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY, EVERYBODY'S AGREEING ON WHAT, WHAT THOSE RULES ARE.
AND I JUST WANNA MAKE A CLEAR, WELL, I'LL ASK A QUESTION.
SO, UH, WHAT'S CURRENTLY CONTEMPLATED IN BIGGER 1 3 4 IS THAT THAT LOAD WANTS NO GUARANTEE OF GRID PPED UPTIME.
ISN'T THAT COOL? GRIDS HAVE WANTED THIS FOR YEARS AND THE MOMENT HAS ARRIVED.
UM, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS, SO I UNDERSTAND THE RULES DON'T EXIST TODAY, BUT EVERYBODY INFORMED IN HERE HAS ATTORNEYS AND CONTRACTS.
IS THERE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER INTO A VOLUNTARY CONTRACT TO GIVE CERTAINTY THAT WE WILL TAKE ON THE, THAT THE TBGA MEMBERS AND ANYONE WHO WANTS TO, WILL TAKE ON THE UNCERTAINTY OF WHAT THAT LOAD INTERCONNECTION WILL LOOK LIKE? BECAUSE I AM, AND MANY INDIVIDUALS IN THIS ROOM ARE VERY WILLING TO GIVE CONTRACTUAL CERTAINTY AND GO EVEN FURTHER THAT NONE OF THIS LOAD TOUCHES THAT GRID UNLESS WE HAVE SOME STANDARDS AND SOME LOW VOLTAGE RIDE THROUGH STANDARDS AND MANY OTHER THINGS.
BUT I AND MANY OTHERS ARE FULLY COMMITTED TO GETTING CREATIVE, UM, ON THAT, YOU KNOW, ON SOLUTIONING FOR THAT.
I, I WOULD SAY ERCOT WANTS A STANDARD PROCESS FOR THAT.
WE, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE NEGOTIATING THOSE CONTRACTS IN INDIVIDUALLY.
WE, WE WANT A STANDARD PROCESS IN A STANDARD FORM.
AND, AND SO I THINK THAT NECESSITATES WE GO THROUGH A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS TO DEVELOP THAT STANDARD PROCESS THAT EV EVERYBODY'S PLAYING BY THE SAME RULES.
IS IT, IT, YOU KNOW, FROM A CONTROL ROOM PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD BE CHAOTIC IF WE HAD KIND OF, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT RULES.
EVERYBODY HAS TO AGREE THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA PLAY BY THE SAME RULES.
ANOTHER QUESTION IN THE SAME VEIN IS, IT SOUNDS LIKE, AGAIN, BATCH ZERO A IS REALLY NARROWED IN THE 35, 38 ISH GIGAWATTS.
AM I CORRECT THAT ALL OF THAT IS MODELED IN THE PLANNING CASES AND OPERATIONS AS FIRM LOAD? UM, I, I AM NOT SURE IF THAT'S IN THE EXISTING PLANNING CASES.
UM, I, I'D HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK WITH MY PLANNING OR MODELING FOLKS ON THAT.
UH, BUT, BUT THAT, THAT IS HOW WE WOULD TREAT IT IN THE BATCH ZERO A STUDIES.
AND LET'S JUST ASSUME THAT'S CORRECT.
I THINK THAT'S A VERY SAFE ASSUMPTION.
LET'S ASSUME IT'S ABOUT 38 GIGAWATTS GOING INTO BATCH ZERO A.
WE GET BIGGER 1 3 4 STANDARDIZED.
[05:35:01]
EVERYBODY HAS THAT OPPORTUNITY.UM, DOES THAT MEAN THAT ALL THAT LOAD THAT'S GONNA BE COMING IN AND ALL THE WIRES THAT ARE GONNA BE BUILT BY ALL THE GREAT PEOPLE DOING THAT, THAT THERE'S GONNA BE AN ADDITIONAL OFF PEAK CAPACITY AVAILABLE FOR LOADS THAT ARE WILLING TO CURTAIL FOR TEXAS VOTERS? YEAH, I, I'M NOT SURE I UNDERSTOOD THE, THE QUESTION.
SO IF WE'RE BRINGING IN 38 GIGAWATTS OF FIRM LOAD AND WE'RE GONNA BUILD A BOAT LOAD OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND BRING IN SOME GENERATION AND ALL THAT, IS IT A PHYSICS ENGINEERING CERTAINTY THAT THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL OFF PEAK UNDERUTILIZED CAPACITY AVAILABLE, UM, FOR THIS CONTEMPLATED BIGGER 1 3 4 LOAD THAT WILL CURTAIL WHEN ERCOT WANTS IT TO BOTH IN RESOURCE ADEQUACY AND TRANSMISSION ADEQUACY? WE WORK FOR THE TEXAS VOTERS.
SO I, I, I THINK, UH, IF I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS, UM, YOU'RE, UH, GETTING TO THE FACT THAT WE BUILD THE SYSTEM FOR THE PEAK MM-HMM
UH, BUT OFF PEAK, MAYBE THERE'S ADDITIONAL CAPACITY THAT YEAH.
MAY MAYBE IF YOU HAD FLEXIBLE LOADS, THEN MAY, MAYBE THEY AREN'T ABLE TO CONSUME AT PEAK, BUT MAYBE THEY CAN CONSUME AT, AT OFF PEAK.
WOULD IT BE HELPFUL TO, UH, YOU KNOW, FLEXIBLE AND FIRM? THESE ARE, WE'RE ALL TALKING PAST EACH OTHER.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THIS IS BRAND NEW REVOLUTIONARY STUFF.
WE DON'T HAVE A SHARED LANGUAGE.
WOULD IT BE HELPFUL TO INTRODUCE A DEFINITION ON NON FIRM GRID LOAD INTO, UM, THE ERCOT PROTOCOL DEFINITIONS? I, SO I, I THINK THE CONTROL LOAD RESOURCE, I, I THINK THAT THAT ALREADY HAS THAT DEFINITION, UH, OF WHAT THAT IS.
I, I, I THINK IT'S JUST A MATTER OF THE, THE RULES AROUND THAT.
UH, WE, WE'VE GOTTA SHARPEN THOSE RULES AS WE LAID OUT HERE.
WELL, THIS IS A REALLY EXCITING TIME, SO I BET YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GONNA BE A PUBLIC SPEAKER WHEN YOU SIGNED UP TO COME TO ERCOT.
SO WE'RE GONNA RUN QUESTIONS 15 MORE MINUTES IN THE LAST 15 MINUTES WILL BE TO KIND OF LAND THE PLANE ON SOME DETAILS, UH, AND ALSO THE GOOD CAUSE EXCEPT PIECE, UH, BERNARDO.
UM, BERNARDO FROM SERENA, UM, SORRY, I WILL RAISE TWO POINTS THAT WERE ALREADY DISCUSSED, BUT I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT TO DEFINE SIZE.
SO TOPIC NUMBER ONE, UH, AND COMPLETELY AGREE THAT WE ARE HERE TO DISCUSS TRANSMISSION ADVOCACY AND ALSO RESOURCE ADVOCACY.
SO IT WOULD BE VERY GOOD IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE, TO INCLUDE ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS REGARDING CO-LOCATED GENERATION UNDER AT LEAST BATCHES.
IT WOULD BE, I THINK THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THOUSANDS OF GIGAWATTS COMING ONLINE IN 2027.
SO WE HAVE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE TRANSMISSION ENFORCEMENT AND TO GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE, UH, GENERATION TO SUPPLY THE LOAD.
SO I, I ENFORCE THIS, THIS POINT, POINT NUMBER TWO IS MORE A CLARIFICATION.
I DID NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO POSTPONE THE CUTOFF DATE OF 2008 JANUARY FOUR, BATCH ZERO BI DO NOT, I I'M NOT FOLLOWING WHY THIS WOULD MAKE ANY, UH, PROBLEM WITH THE BATCH A STUDIES.
SO I'LL TRY TO HIT THAT QUICKLY.
SO THE PROBLEM IS THAT IN ZERO A, WE'RE GOING TO START ALLOCATING MEGAWATTS.
I IF YOU HAVE A SEPARATE PROCESS WHERE YOU ARE ALSO ALLOCATING MEGAWATTS, IT IS POTENTIAL THAT THOSE CONFLICT AND WE CAN'T HAVE THAT BECAUSE THAT MEANS WE CAN'T TRUST THE RELIABILITY OF THE SYSTEM, THE, THE RELIABILITY OF THOSE STUDIES.
BUT YOU RUN BATCH A WITH ALL THE LOADS OF BATCH B, BATCH ZERO B ALSO IN THE SIMULATIONS OF BATCH A NO, NO.
THE, THE LOADS THAT ARE IN YES.
THEY, THEY WON'T BE INCLUDED IN, UH, IN A OKAY.
THIS IS VICTOR SAUERS, TKN ENERGY CAPITAL.
UH, CAN YOU GO TO SLIDE 40? THANK YOU.
[05:40:01]
ASSETS THAT WE HAVE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS RIGHT NOW, IT'S REALLY SCENARIO TWO, SCENARIO FOUR.BUT, YOU KNOW, LOOK WHAT WE HAVE, WE, ALL OF OUR SITES ARE GOING TO HAVE, UH, GENERATION ON IT, UH, TO PROTECT OUR GENERATION AND TO BE ABLE TO DO, UH, LOW, UH, VOLTAGE RIDE THROUGH OR HERTZ EVENTS AND, AND ON AND ON.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE 50% OF LOAD CAPACITY IN ENERGY STORAGE.
SO MY POINT IS, IS THAT THESE LARGE PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE IS, IS A RESOURCE.
'CAUSE WE KNOW ERIC CO MIGHT HAVE DIFFICULTY FINDING FUTURE FIRM POWER, UH, GOING FORWARD, BUT WE ARE A RESOURCE.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE, AND, AND TELL ME IF I'M WRONG, YOU'RE KIND OF LEANING TOWARD OR OR HINTING BETWEEN SCENARIO TWO, SCENARIO FOUR THAT, HEY, WE CAN REALLY USE YOU GUYS AS RESOURCES, RIGHT? WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THE RULES LOOK LIKE? WOULD THAT NEED TO BE DEVELOPED? SO THAT'S AN ASSUMPTION ON MY PART.
I'M JUST DOING IT FROM AN OPERATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, BUT I'M GONNA HAVE THESE RESOURCES REGARDLESS, RIGHT? SO CAN YOU IMAGINE ONE OF MY SITES IS GONNA HAVE 300 MEGAWATT OF, OF ENERGY STORAGE GIVE YOU AN IDEA.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR ERCO IS THE LOADS IN PLAY, THERE'S A LOT OF DATA CENTERS.
THE DATA CENTERS AND CHIP THE DATA CENTERS.
SO WE KNOW IN 2027, WE GOT CHIP TECHNOLOGY COMING OUT THAT'S FIVE TIMES MORE EFFICIENT.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACILITIES THAT OPERATE OUR DATA CENTERS INCOMPARABLE A 500 MEGAWATT DATA CENTER WITH 2028 TECHNOLOGY ONLY REQUIRES 200 MEGAWATT.
NOW I CAN FILL IT, BUT THE QUESTION ERCOT IS IF I DON'T FILL IT BECAUSE I HAVE A CHOICE, I CAN KEEP DOING THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF CHIPS, THAT I CAN PROCESS MORE AND NOT USE THAT WHAT'S BEEN ALLOCATED.
BUT WHAT IS THE CURRENT THINKING RULES THAT IF I DON'T USE WHAT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT LOAD? DO YOU GUYS CLOG BACK IF THE LOAD, YOU'RE, YOU'RE SAYING IF THE LOAD DECREASES OVER TIME, HOW, HOW DO WE HANDLE THAT SITUATION? OR I DON'T USE IT BECAUSE IF YOU, IF WE AGREE WITH WHAT THEY, WE RAMP PROGRAM OF, CALL IT 200 MEG, UH, EVERY 12 MONTHS OF SOMETHING THAT NATURE, RIGHT? BUT THEN ON YEAR TWO, YOU DON'T SEE ME INCREASING MY LOAD BECAUSE I'M DOING CHIP TECHNOLOGY AND NOT LOAD.
I, I THINK THAT THAT, THAT'S A, A FAIR POINT.
AND I'LL SAY I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAVE A ADDRESSED THAT HERE.
UM, I, I THINK THERE WAS, UM, I THINK, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE 58 41.
I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT HAD, UH, SOME KIND OF CONTEMPLATION OF, OF THAT OR NOT.
BUT, UM, YEAH, THAT, THAT'S A FAIR POINT.
AND I'LL SAY I DON'T THINK THAT WE'VE ADDRESSED THAT SITUATION HERE, RIGHT? BECAUSE EASILY WITH THE PROJECT WE GOING, WE CAN HOG THE MEGAWATT UNLESS YOU TELL ME OTHERWISE, BECAUSE OF THE TIMELINE THAT YOU'VE SHOWN US TODAY, THE TECHNOLOGY IN PLAY THAT'S ALREADY GOING TO COPY EXACT, THAT'S TECH STUFF, NOT WITH WITHIN POWER PREVIEW, BUT IT MAKES US TREMENDOUSLY MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT.
YEAH, THAT CAME UP IN SOME OF OUR OUTREACH QUESTIONS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF PEOPLE AREN'T HITTING THEIR MILESTONES OR THIS GENTLEMAN'S QUESTION BY DESIGN, THEY'RE NOT MEETING 'EM BECAUSE EFFICIENCY SAYS, I DON'T NEED ALL THE POWER.
SO HOW DOES, HOW'S IT SURRENDER BACK, CLAWED BACK, WHATEVER THOSE WORDS ARE.
SO, UM, ROBERT, APOLOGIES IF I'VE MISSED YOUR NAME.
UH, ROBERT NEGA NEBA SONG YES.
ROBERT ONG, UM, ON ENERGY MISSION, UH, CRITICAL.
UH, SO MY QUESTION IS JUST BASIC SIMPLE QUESTION THERE.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, UH, EVEN IF A STUDY'S BEING DONE AND APPROVED AT SOME POINT, UH, IT MIGHT NOT CONNECT BECAUSE, UH, DUE TO SOME SPECIFIC, SOME ASSUMPTIONS THAT, UH, HAVE CHANGED.
COULD YOU GIVE US AT LEAST TWO EXAMPLES OF A SCENARIO WHERE THIS CAN OCCUR? YEAH, SO, SO YEAH, I MEAN, IS IT SOMETHING LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF A, YOU KNOW, CHANGE IN LOAD PROFILE OR MAYBE THINGS, OKAY.
SO I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE SEE, I I THINK YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT THE CURRENT PROCESS TODAY.
SO WHAT WE SEE IS, UM, LOAD A GOES THROUGH THE PROCESS.
THEY, THEY WORK WITH THE TSPS, THEY GET THEIR STUDIES DONE, AND THEN, UM, MEANWHILE THERE IS LOAD B THAT WAS NOT, IS IS MAYBE TWO, TWO MILES AWAY, WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE LOAD A STUDIES.
[05:45:01]
AND LOAD B IS IN PARALLEL MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS LOAD A GETS TO THE END, AND THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE MET ALL OF THE STUDY REQUIREMENTS.THEY HAVE AN APPROVED STUDY, WE HAVE APPROVED THAT STUDY, BUT THEN LOAD B COMES IN AND THEY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS SLIGHTLY FASTER AND THEY, UH, GET THEIR STUDIES DONE AND THEY SIGN ALL OF THEIR AGREEMENTS.
SO TO USE ONE PICKER, ONE 15, UH, LANGUAGE, THEY MEET NINE, FOUR LOAD B MEETS NINE FIVE.
AND NOW THE STUDIES THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY TOLD LOAD A WERE APPROVED, ARE NO LONGER VALID AND LOAD A THEN HAS TO GO BACK AND PERFORM A UD.
AND THAT IS A COMMON ISSUE THAT WE SEE WITH THE PROCESS TODAY.
AND, AND THIS IS THE, AGAIN, THIS IS THE CRUX OF THE PROBLEM TODAY, IS THAT THE, THE LOADS THAT THAT LOAD A HAS UNCERTAINTY.
AND SO E EVERYBODY WHO IS IN THAT PROCESS TODAY, THAT THEY, THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN APPROVED STUDIES THAT THAT IS THE RISK THAT, THAT THEY HAVE IS THAT THEY ARE GONNA HAVE TO GO BACK AND, AND PERFORM RESTUDIES.
AND THAT UNCERTAINTY HAS CAUSED HAVOC WITH THE DEVELOPER COMMUNITY.
CHRISTIAN, YOU STILL WITH US? WE'RE NOT HEARING YOU YET.
I'LL CIRCLE BACK TO YOU AFTER JACK O'NEILL YOUR NEXT STEP.
CHRISTIAN OR JACK? GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE.
AND I'LL, UH, I'LL SPEAK FOR JACK AS WELL.
UM, THANKS FOR JUST THANKS EVERYBODY FOR A PRODUCTIVE DAY TODAY.
I THINK THIS HAS BEEN HELPFUL TO TALK THROUGH.
UM, MAKE A WHICH COMPANY REAL QUICK? HAYNES? SORRY.
HANS STRADER WITH SKYBOX DATA CENTERS.
UM, I, TWO THINGS, I'LL MAKE A QUICK POINT AND THEN, AND THEN ASK A QUESTION.
SO I I I CAN'T ITERATE ENOUGH.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT THE DATE OF THE BATCH ZERO A GROUP, UM, NOT BE RESTRICTED WITH THE 2026 OR 2027 DELIVERY BASED ON A LOT OF THE COMMENTARY THAT'S BEEN MADE TODAY.
AND I DON'T NEED TO HARP ON THAT TOO MUCH MORE, HOPEFULLY.
BUT MY, MY ONLY POINT IS WE, WE HAVE PLENTY OF STUFF AND I'M AWARE OF MANY OF OUR PEERS, CUSTOMERS, AND COMPETITORS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE QUEUE FOR 24, 18, 12 MONTHS.
NONE, NONE OF THEM ARE GONNA HIT 26 STATES WITH MAYBE A FEW, MAYBE ONE OR TWO VERY RARE EXCEPTIONS.
UM, EVEN IF THEY PROCURED LONG LEADS AND ALL OF THAT STUFF, YOU'RE, YOU'RE STILL NOT BUILDING BUILDINGS AND YOU DON'T HAVE WORK CREWS SPUN UP AND YOU DON'T HAVE THE BASIC NECESSITIES BEING DONE.
THEY'RE GONNA MEET THOSE, THOSE EARLY DATES.
SO I THINK NOT EXTENDING THAT TO AT LEAST END OF 28 IS A BIG MISTAKE.
UM, AND WOULD, WOULD REALLY CREATE A BUNCH OF, UM, NOISE IN THE QUEUE, PARTICULARLY YOU WOULD ENABLE A LOT OF SITES THAT ULTIMATELY MISS THEIR ENERGIZATION AND THEN WOULD BE SUBJECT TO RLO AND OTHER CLAWBACK PROVISIONS.
AND I JUST THINK THAT'S AN IRRESPONSIBLE WAY TO, TO MANAGE IT.
I, I DO THINK SO THAT'S MY POINT.
NO, NO NEED TO COMMENT DEEPLY ON THAT, BUT I DO THINK ON, UM, AS FAR AS HOW TO QUALIFY, WHAT SHOULD GO IN, UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF COMMENTS MADE THAT ERCOT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION OR, OR ONLY HAS THE INFORMATION, IT HAS ACCESS TO, FOR EXAMPLE, JUSTIFYING, UH, WHETHER SOMEONE HAS PROCURED LONG-LEAD EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, WHETHER THE UTILITY IS PROCURED LONG-LEAD EQUIPMENT, WHETHER IT'S OWNS THE LAND, ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE, ARE POINTS OF INFORMATION THAT A, A MATURE DEVELOPMENT OR DEVELOPER OR OWNER WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE VERY QUICKLY.
AND I GUESS MY QUESTION TO ERCOT IS I THINK IF WE'RE TALKING THIS IS GONNA BE ANOTHER MONTH OR TWO UNTIL THE, UH, UNTIL THE LARGE LOADS ARE, ARE DECIDED UPON, WHY NOT SIMPLY USE THE MATURITY CRITERIA? VERY SIMILAR.
I THINK SKYBOX HAS REDUCED AN EXAMPLE OF THAT FOR ERCOT, UM, AND REQUEST THAT THAT DOCUMENTATION BE PROVIDED THAT'S, THAT'S READILY AVAILABLE BY US AND BY MANY OF OUR COMPETITORS AND, AND CUSTOMERS.
TO, UM, I THINK THE, THE REASON IS WHATEVER THAT CRITERIA IS, WE WOULD NEED THE, UM, UH, I THINK LIKE LIKELY THE COMMISSION TO AGREE ON WHAT THAT CRITERIA IS.
[05:50:01]
NOT LIKELY TO GET THAT AGREEMENT BEFORE, UH, RIGHT, RIGHT BEFORE WE WOULD NEED TO START THE, THE THIS STUDY.W WAIT, CAN WHY JUST WHY WOULD IT TAKE THAT LONG? YEAH.
SO, SO, UH, UM, IF, IF, IF THE, UM, CRITERIA WAS, UH, BASED ON SOMETHING, SOME, SOME INFORMATION THAT ERCOT DOES NOT HAVE TODAY, UM, WE WOULD ULTIMATELY, THE COMMISSION IS GOING TO HAVE TO, UH, APPROVE WHATEVER CRITERIA THAT WE ARE GOING TO USE.
UH, AND, AND SO WE DON'T PLAN TO ASK FOR, UH, BECAUSE WE, WE NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
WE, WE DON'T, UH, PLAN TO ASK THE COMMISSION UNTIL, UH, FEBRUARY 20TH, UH, LIKELY THEY'RE GOING TO WANT SOME TIME TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
AND, UM, IT, AND SO IF, IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE FOLLOW THAT PROCESS IS THERE'S A POSSIBILITY WE SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, UM, WE, WE THINK THE CRITERIA SHOULD BE, UH, YOU, YOU, YOU'VE GOTTA SHOW THAT YOU'VE, UM, PROCURED YOUR, YOUR BREAKERS AND WHATEVER OTHER LONG LEAD TIME EQUIPMENT, YOU, YOU, YOU'VE GOTTA SHOW THAT YOU'VE DONE THAT.
UM, WE DON'T WANNA ASK THAT INFORMATION RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THE COMMISSION MAY SAY, NO, WE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ACTUALLY DON'T AGREE WITH THAT CRITERIA.
WE, WE THINK IT SHOULD BE THIS OTHER CRITERIA THAT YOU HAVEN'T ASKED FOR.
AND SO WE, WE, WE'VE GOTTA WORK THROUGH THAT PROCESS AND, AND, AND SO I THINK IT'S UNLIKELY WE WOULD GET AN ANSWER BEFORE THE END OF MARCH FOR THAT.
UH, AND THEN THAT PUTS US AT THE POINT WHERE WE NEED TO START THE STUDIES.
AND SO IT'S NOT, NOT REALLY THERE, THERE'S NOT REALLY TIME IN THERE TO THEN ONCE WE GET THAT AGREEMENT FROM THE COMMISSION, THAT THERE'S NOT REALLY TIME TO THE, TO THEN GO OUT AND ASK AND THEN START THE STUDY.
CAN I MAYBE ONE JUST IDEA, AND I'M, I'M, THIS IS TOTALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, SHOOTING DARTS AT A WALL HERE.
UM, IF THAT WAS THE CASE AND THAT WAS DETERMINED, COULD THAT BE A GOOD WAY OF PRIORITIZING WHO IS INCLUDED IN THE STUDY AND THAT THERE IS, OKAY, HERE'S, HERE'S THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMENCE THE STUDY, AND THEN IT'S, YOU KNOW, IN THE ORDER THAT IT'S RECEIVED OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE INVITED, UM, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I MEAN, IS THAT, I DON'T KNOW, THAT MAY NOT REALLY WORK WELL WITH THE BATCH CRITERIA, BUT I'M, I'M JUST BRAINSTORMING, BUT I JUST, IS THERE A WAY THAT, 'CAUSE AGAIN, I THINK THE MOST DEVELOPED, MOST MATURE PROJECTS, THIS IS, THIS WOULD TAKE ME 24 HOURS TO TURN AROUND OR LESS.
UM, AND SO I JUST, AND I, I DON'T THINK I'M ALONE IN THAT.
YEAH, NO, I, YEAH, I HEAR YOUR POINT.
UM, WE'LL, WE'LL TAKE THAT BACK.
MIGHT BE DOWN TO THE LAST TWO OR THREE QUESTIONS.
UM, A SECOND WHAT HAYNES SAID IN HIS REMARKS, BUT, UM, ON SLIDE 18, ON THE FIFTH BOX DOWN, I THINK MANY FOLKS HAVE NOTED THE CONCERN ABOUT PUNISHING THOSE, UH, WHO ARE HONEST AND FORTHRIGHT ABOUT LOAD RAMP SCHEDULES.
SO IN AN EFFORT TO ALLEVIATE THOSE CONCERNS, WOULD ERCOT CONSIDER AMENDING THE CRITERIA IN THE, UH, THE FIFTH BOX DOWN TO READ HAS EITHER OR HAS EITHER REQUESTED ENERGIZATION BEFORE JUNE 30TH, 2027, OR HAS FINANCIAL SECURITY POSTED WITH THE TSP.
UH, AND, AND OF COURSE HAS THE STEADY STATE STUDY APPROVED.
UH, I SAY THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE ZERO A IS A TRANSITIONAL STUDY AS, AS YOU HAVE SAID, AND THEY'LL NEED TO QUALIFY FOR ZERO B ANYWAYS UNDER 58 41 REQUIREMENTS.
SO IT DOESN'T SEEM TOO, UH, ONEROUS TO POTENTIALLY ADD THOSE LOADS THAT HAVE PAID FINANCIAL SECURITY.
UM, AND MAYBE WE'RE PRETTY FORTHRIGHT ABOUT A 2028 DATE.
UM, SO YEAH, SO I'LL, I'LL SAY, UH, AGAIN, EVERYTHING HERE IS IN PEN, SO YOU, WE, WE'LL, WE WILL CONSIDER THAT.
UM, SO FURTHERMORE, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE THE CLR AND BIGGER 1 34 AND THE CO-LOCATION, THERE IS A NEED FOR PERHAPS MORE TIME TO CONSIDER THAT, BUT I DO THINK THE COMMISSION WOULD, UH, BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO THE COMMISSION WITH A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION, PROBABLY LOOK FAVORABLY ON, UH, THOSE ITEMS BEING INCLUDED IN PERHAPS ZERO B, WHICH WOULD GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, SEVERAL MONTHS TO, UH, INCLUDE THOSE IN A POTENTIAL, UH, ZERO B WHERE, WHERE I THINK FIGURE 1 34 COULD BE QUITE HELPFUL.
YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT THOUGHT.
YEAH, AGAIN, UM, I THINK IT'S,
[05:55:01]
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION HERE IN A MINUTE, BUT WE, WE CAN ASK FOR A GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION FROM EXISTING RULES, BUT NEW RULES THAT WOULD BE IMPOSED UPON LOADS.YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT WORKS.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, SOME, SOME SORT OF STANDARD AGREEMENTS SO THAT THE LOADS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE SIGNING UP FOR WHEN THEY SIGN UP FOR THAT.
I, I THINK THEY WOULD, THE LOADS WOULD VERY READILY AGREE TO WHATEVER STANDARD AGREEMENT ERCOT COMES UP WITH BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.
UH, LAST QUESTION WILL COME FROM LIZ AND THEN JEFF, AND I'LL SWITCH SPOTS TO THE PODIUM HERE TO FINISH UP.
ONE, I'D LIKE TO ECHO WES WHITE'S REQUEST THAT YOU CONSIDER LLI STUDIES AS OF THE DATE SUBMITTED AND NOT AS OF THE DATE APPROVED, BECAUSE THE LAG TIME BETWEEN DATES SUBMITTED AND DATE APPROVED HAS IN MANY INSTANCES BEEN LONG.
THE SECOND REQUEST IS TO CONSIDER LOADS INCLUDED IN RPG PROPOSALS AS SUBMITTED AND NOT AS APPROVED BECAUSE AGAIN, THERE'S BEEN A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME BETWEEN THE SUBMITTAL DATE OF SEVERAL RPGS AND THE AWAITED APPROVAL OF THOSE RPGS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT GOES INTO YOUR SPECIAL CATEGORY, CHRISTINA, BUT IT NEEDS TO GO SOMEWHERE.
[4. Next Steps]
LEMME GET TO THE, SO WHAT ARE NEXT STEPS? AND I'M GONNA INCLUDE THE GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION.UH, SO THE IDEA IS WE'RE GONNA MEET AGAIN NEXT THURSDAY, MAY BE VERY SIMILAR TO THIS.
UH, THE OBJECTIVE IS TO TAKE INFORMATION FROM Y'ALL RECEIVED IN THIS FORM.
WE HAVE MANAGEMENT ASKING, WHAT DID YOU HEAR? SO THAT'S PART OF OUR FEEDBACK TO THEM.
THEN THERE'S ALSO THE IDEA OF IT'S, UH, AT 3 0 1 A SURVEY MARKET NOTICE WENT OUT, KIND OF THE USUAL MARKET NOTICE THING.
WE'LL MAKE SURE IT GETS OUT TO THE TAC EXPLODER AS WELL AS THE LLWG EXPLODER.
AND THEN THAT'S THE CHANCE FOR ONE PER COMPANY ON THE SURVEY TO GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK.
UM, SORRY, NOT YOUR FEEDBACK, YOUR BY CRITERIA CHECKBOX TYPE STUFF.
THE DATA OF A SURVEY WILL HELP US KNOW WHERE EVERYBODY STANDS.
SO IF EVERYONE HATES, WELL, THERE'S PLENTY OF EXAMPLES TO CHOOSE FROM.
THERE'S, THERE'S SOME THINGS, SOME DATES YOU MAY NOT AGREE WITH, THAT'S A CHANCE TO WEIGH IN ON THOSE.
AND JUST AGAIN, GIVE US EVIDENCE ACROSS THE FULL SPECTRUM.
AND THEN ALSO TO THAT IS THE IDEA OF THESE LLWG FEEDBACK@ERCOT.COM.
THAT'S A NEW MAILBOX, IT'S A SHARED MAILBOX.
WE'RE GONNA USE THAT AS THE CATCHER'S MET FOR ANY AND ALL COMMENTS TO THESE PROPOSALS TO THEN BE PUBLICLY SHARED FOR THE NEXT WORKSHOP.
SO PICTURE THIS, IT'S THE IDEA OF YOU SEND THOSE TO US BY THURSDAY, WE WILL THEN START TO TAKE THAT IN AND CREATE OUR OWN THOUGHTS AROUND IT.
AND WE'LL ALSO POST ALL THOSE COMMENTS WITH THE WORKSHOP ON FEBRUARY 12TH.
SO EVERYTHING THAT YOU GIVE TO US WILL BE AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE US, UM, FOR FEBRUARY 12TH.
AND THEN AGAIN, THERE'S KIND OF THIS LINE OF PUC BOARD WORKSHOP, PC OPEN MEETING, WHICH HELPS SET THE STAGE FOR KIND OF THE WHAT ARE BEYOND THE NEXT STEPS OR WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO GET TO THE COMMISSION.
SO, UM, CHRISTINA, YOU WANNA KIND OF TEE UP THE IDEA OF WE'RE GOING INTO A NEW FRONTIER AND WHAT SOME AVENUES ARE FOR THAT? SURE.
SO I'LL SAY, UH, COMING INTO THE WORKSHOP TODAY, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION IS THE PROCEDURAL PATH THAT ERCOT SEEN TO TRANSITION FROM THIS INDIVIDUALIZED STUDY APPROACH THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE PLANNING GUIDE TO THE BATCH STUDY APPROACH THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TODAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, PART OF THAT IS DRIVEN BY THE TIMELINES SET FORTH ON SLIDE 27 TO START THE BATCH STUDY, UH, BATCH STUDY ZERO A IN MARCH, AND HAVE AN ANSWER BY JUNE WHILE WE DEVELOP THE PROTOCOLS GOING FORWARD FOR THE BATCHES AFTER BATCH ZERO.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GOOD CAUSE EXCEPTION IS A, A KNOWN PROCEDURAL PATH THAT ERCO HAS USED TO GO TO THE COMMISSION TO REQUEST AUTHORIZATION, UH, FOR AN TO DEVIATE FROM THE RULES AND THE PLANNING GUIDE AND THE PROTOCOL.
AND WE THINK THAT THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE AN EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION APPROACH HERE.
BUT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE TODAY THAT HAS BEEN IN PENCIL AND WILL ULTIMATELY BE DRIVEN BY WHAT THE BATCH STUDY PROPOSAL IS.
AND I KNOW THE YEAH, DO, YEAH.
SO I WAS GONNA SAY, AND BARKSDALE'S HERE TOO, IF YOU WANTED TO SHARE ANYTHING FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, BARKSDALE.
[06:00:01]
MATT.UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANKS, UH, TODAY REPRESENTS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK, UM, NOT ONLY FROM EVERYBODY HERE, BUT FROM ERCOT IN PARTICULAR.
AND I'M JUST, UH, I KNOW ON BEHALF OF EVERYBODY WHO AT THE COMMISSION WE'RE EXTRAORDINARILY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO PREPARING FOR TODAY.
UM, AND THEN SECOND, I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU WHO ARE HERE IN PERSON OR WHO HAVE ATTENDED ONLINE.
UM, I THINK THE, THE HIGHEST COUNT I SAW WAS SOMETHING LIKE 865, UH, PEOPLE, UM, WHICH JUST BLOWS MY MIND.
AND, UM, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL FOR EVERYBODY WHO SPOKE OR SENT IN COMMENTS BECAUSE I HAVE, UM, HEARD A LOT.
AND, UM, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT, UM, BOTH ERCOT AND THE COMMISSION, UM, WE'RE HEARING FROM YOU SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING THE RIGHT OUTCOME HERE.
UM, THE CHAIRMAN HAS SAID SEVERAL TIMES PUBLICLY AND PRIVATELY THAT, UH, WE HAVE TO GET THIS RIGHT AND WE SHOULDN'T BE SACRIFICING THE RIGHT FOR THE RIGHT NOW.
SO, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT FOLKS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT ANYTHING THAT YOU'VE HEARD, I THINK HOPEFULLY, UM, YOU'VE HEARD BOTH JEFF AND MATT AND AJI TALK ABOUT THIS BEING IN PENCIL.
UM, AND SO NOTHING IS SET IN STONE.
UM, AND, AND DECISIONS WILL BE FORTHCOMING.
UM, I GUESS THE LAST THING THAT I'D LIKE TO SAY IS, UH, SPECIFICALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE GOOD CAUSE, UH, EXCEPTION PROCESS, UM, IT IS A KNOWN PROCEDURAL PROCESS.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN USED BY ERCOT AND OTHER PARTIES IN THE PAST.
UM, AND I HAVE HAD FOLKS PRIVATELY TALK TO ME ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO AUTOMATIC WAY FOR STAKEHOLDERS TO SUBMIT COMMENTS TO THE COMMISSION IN A GOOD CAUSE PROCEEDING.
AND SO THAT'S A THING THAT'S A CONCERN, IT'S A KNOWN CONCERN AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I TAKE VERY, VERY, VERY, UM, SERIOUSLY.
UM, BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A DRAMATIC SHIFT IN THE LANDSCAPE OF HOW WE'VE BEEN OPERATING.
AND UM, OBVIOUSLY IT'S OF GREAT IMPORTANCE TO, UH, THE STATE, TO ITS LEADERSHIP, UM, AND TO EACH OF YOUR COMPANIES.
AND SO, UM, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE DOING IT RIGHT AND NOT RIGHT NOW.
I'M HAPPY TO TALK WITH FOLKS, UM, AFTERWARDS OR, UH, AT ANOTHER TIME IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU, UM, ARE NOT GETTING YOUR CONCERNS HEARD.
WELL, YES, THANK YOU TO THE ERCOT TEAM, THE ENGINEERING AND SMES THAT HAVE BEEN CONTRIBUTED TO THIS.
IT WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT THEY DID.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT I'LL SAY THANK YOU AND WE WILL, SORRY.
SO THE NEXT TIME WE'LL BE TOGETHER IS FEBRUARY 12TH.
UH, PROBABLY THE SAME LOCATION WE TALKED ABOUT IF WE NEED A HOTEL, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE WE JUST MADE IT IN, SO I THINK WE'LL STICK WITH THE PLACE THAT WE'RE AT.
UM, BUT OTHERWISE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
INDEED, DO YOU EXPECT TO HAVE SLIDES OUT IN ADVANCE, IN ADVANCE OF THE FEBRUARY 12TH WORKSHOP THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY REFLECT YOUR CURRENT THINKING AT THAT POINT IN TIME? WOW, IT'S A QUICK WHIP.
UH, WE WILL DO OUR BEST BASED ON THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVE 48 HOURS FROM NOW TO THEN PROVIDE SOMETHING FOR 168 HOURS LATER.
WELL, WE'VE BEEN STARING AT THE CALENDAR AND THERE'S NO ROOM.
THROW A BOARD MEETING IN THE MIDDLE OF IT AND CALL IT FUN.
SO, UM, ALRIGHT, WELL THANK Y'ALL.
WE STAND ADJOURNED AND WE'LL TALK TO Y'ALL SOON.