By Tom Kleckner and William Opalka

Bradley C. Jones joined ERCOT little more than two years ago from Energy Future Holdings as the grid operator’s vice president of commercial operations. The job gave him responsibility for market operations, design and development, settlements, retail operations and client relations.

He wouldn’t stay long.

In January, ERCOT appointed him senior vice president and chief operating officer, putting him in line to potentially succeed CEO H.B. “Trip” Doggett, who announced in June that he will retire in 2016.

In August, however, ERCOT named General Counsel Bill Magness as Doggett’s successor. So last week, after less than nine months in his new job, Jones announced he would succeed Stephen C. Whitley as CEO of NYISO.

Jones will take over Oct. 12, as the New York power market faces a proposed overhaul led by the state’s governor and utility regulators.

In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for the Public Service Commission to review the ISO, saying its market design is at odds with his administration’s Reforming the Energy Vision initiative, which seeks increased deployment of distributed resources and clean energy. Cuomo also called for more public and consumer representation on the ISO’s Board of Directors. (See NYISO: We’ll Cooperate with PSC Review.)

The ISO’s other challenges include the continuing shift to natural gas generation; reliability concerns caused by coal retirements and above-market contracts needed to keep some generators operating; transmission constraints into New York City; and discussions to change the capacity market that have not reached consensus.

Three Decades

Those who know him at ERCOT say Jones’ nearly three decades of experience in the industry have prepared him for the challenges.

“Brad was integral in the creation of the successful ERCOT market,” said Theresa Gage, ERCOT’s vice president of external affairs and corporate communications. “We are sad to see him go, but we are proud that NYISO recognizes the excellence in Brad that benefited the ERCOT market for so long.”

His new bosses in New York say Jones’ experience in the private sector and with the Texas grid is what made him the best candidate.

“The board gave serious consideration to a number of highly qualified and impressive candidates — both internal and external — and ultimately selected Mr. Jones because of his long and distinguished career in the electric sector,” NYISO spokesman David C. Flanagan. “His diverse background — with experience in grid operations, power plant operations, generation development, project finance, market design, and regulatory and legislative affairs — was the best fit for the NYISO at this point in its history.”

Whitley announced in January he would step down after more than seven years as the ISO’s head. He will remain with NYISO during a transition period and will become an adviser to the Board of Directors.

Jones last week declined an interview request, saying he is not yet ready to talk publicly. In a statement, he said he was “excited about the opportunity to work with the NYISO’s employees and stakeholders, as well as with government officials.”

Florida Native, Texas Career

Though born in Florida, Jones has spent most of his time in Texas, where he and his wife raised their six children.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University and a master’s degree in finance from The University of Texas at Arlington. He is a registered professional engineer in Texas.

Last Coal Plant

He joined TXU Corp. as a plant engineer, rising through the ranks and various executive positions in retail, generation, investor relations, government relations and regulatory affairs. He led the development of TXU’s Oak Grove Project, a 1,634-MW coal-fired generating station located near College Station, Texas, and the last coal plant to be built in the state.

He remained with TXU after Energy Future Holdings (EFH) acquired the utility and its subsidiaries in a 2008 leveraged buyout. When he was tapped by ERCOT, Jones was serving as vice president of government relations for EFH’s competitive businesses.

While with TXU and EFH, Jones chaired ERCOT’s Technical Advisory Committee, which is comprised of stakeholders that make recommendations on operating guides and market protocols to the ISO’s Board of Directors.

Texas Market

“With his deep knowledge of the industry, Brad was always such a great resource for me,” said Pat Nichols, a senior communication strategist with TXU and EFH. “I was sorry to see Brad leave EFH but glad for his success.”

During the 1999 legislative session, Jones worked with the Texas Legislature to restructure the electric industry and allow customers to choose their electric suppliers. Then, as the Texas electric market prepared for retail competition, he led several ERCOT workgroups and committees that created the state’s competitive electricity market.

In 2001, Jones became one of only four recipients of the Public Utility Commission of Texas Commissioner’s Award for his leadership in preparing the state’s electric market for competition. He is well connected within the industry, having served on the boards of the Gulf Coast Power Association and FutureGen Industrial Alliance, chaired an Edison Electric Institute advisory committee and participated on a Texas Reliability Entity committee.

[Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article mistakenly suggested that ERCOT had not yet chosen a successor for retiring CEO H.B. “Trip” Doggett.]