Paxton launches investigative inquiry into ERCOT, 11 other Texas energy companies

BEXAR COUNTY (Texas News Radio) — Texas Attorney Ken Paxton is requesting information from ERCOT and a number of other energy companies in connection to the power failures seen across the state during the winter weather blast.

Paxton issued civil investigative demands to 12 companies and organizations Friday.

Those companies/organizations include: ERCOT, AEP Texas (power provider to areas like Corpus Christi, Abilene, McAllen, Laredo, Victoria, and other areas), Calpine Corporation (energy generator), CenterPoint Energy Services (currently known as Symmetry Energy Solutions; generates natural gas and other energy related services), Griddy (wholesale electric provider), La Frontera Holdings (power generator), Luminant (power generator), NRG Texas Power (power generator), Oncor Energy Delivery (electric distribution and transmission), Panda Sherman Power (power generator, transmitter, and distributor), Temple Generation I (Temple natural gas power plant), and Texas-New Mexico Power (electric transmitter and distributor).

The demands for each company and organization varies based on their business.  For ERCOT, the demand includes all communications over the past five years with the state and power utilities/distributors/retail electric providers on topics like power outages, shed loading practices, implementing “rolling” power outages, and energy pricing; as well as winterization checks performed by ERCOT over the past year, among other demands.

For a company like Griddy, Paxton’s office wants its contacts and customer lists from the past five years, its prices over the past five years, an explanation of what the “Griddy Price Protection” is, energy purchasing contracts, and any public claims it made regarding ERCOT.

For a company like AEP Texas, the demand includes a lot of what it asked from ERCOT, plus operations messages or public notices from ERCOT and related inquiries about the winter storms and energy pricing.

“I’m using the full scope of my Constitutional powers to launch an investigation into ERCOT and other entities that grossly mishandled this week’s extreme winter weather. While Texans pulled together to get their communities through this disaster, they were largely left in the dark,” said Attorney General Paxton. “We will get to the bottom of this power failure and I will tirelessly pursue justice for Texans.”