Having finally added real-time co-optimization to the market like every other U.S. grid operator with an effort that began in 2019, ERCOT can turn its attention to other pressing issues.

ERCOT proposed revisions to its large load interconnection process just days after a new rule established more rigorous criteria for connecting data centers, bitcoin miners and other power-hungry facilities to the grid.

The Texas Public Utility Commission has put out a proposed rule for public comment that would establish the fourth and final program under the Texas Energy Fund, a $1.8 billion backup power program.

Texas regulators have approved two more applications under the Texas Energy Fund’s completion-bonus program, making the generation resources eligible for more than $100 million in grants.

ERCOT’s Board of Directors has approved staff’s proposed 765-kV Eastern Backbone project and its $9.4 billion capital cost price tag, making it the most expensive project in the grid operator’s history.

The Texas Public Utility Commission signed a sixth loan agreement through the Texas Energy Fund’s in-ERCOT loan program, up to $370 million for a new 455-MW gas-fired plant in the Houston area.

ERCOT staff told Texas regulators they plan to file two urgent protocol changes with the Board of Directors in their latest push to design a new ancillary service that further strengthens the grid’s resource adequacy.

Texas regulators approved ERCOT’s methodologies for determining minimum ancillary services for 2026 while hinting at the same time that they are considering discontinuing the use of conservative operations.

ERCOT can ensure long-term reliability with its energy-only market, but it must operate its grid less conservatively for that to happen, said Potomac Economics President David Patton.

ERCOT has told the Texas Public Utility Commission it has prioritized a project in 2026 to gather information from the more than 200 GW of large loads in the interconnection queue.