Panel Discussion: Keeping Up With Large Load & the Batch Queue Process in ERCOT
ERCOT is undergoing a major shift in managing large load interconnection enabled by SB6: a new batch study process aiming to evaluate projects collectively, improve transmission planning, and introduce stricter readiness requirements. As timelines, allocations, and financial commitments become more defined through milestones like “Batch Zero,” developers and large load entities must adapt to new rules and expectations. This session will explore how ERCOT, market participants, and developers are navigating shifting assumptions around resource adequacy, risk, pricing, and the infrastructure needed to meet Texas-sized load growth.
- Is SB6 working as intended, and what else can ERCOT, the PUC, or the legislature do? Batch Zero: How many projects met the July 15 deadline? Any lessons learned so far?
- Meeting RA: How can generation match load realistically? Will TX lose out on customers if it can’t connect new generation fast enough? Get out your crystal ball: What asset types, and in what proportions, are needed to ensure reliability? In August, the shoulder months?
- Grouped analysis and capacity allocation: Could the makeup of batches impact assessments for transmission upgrades? How might partial allocations work, and can stakeholders prepare for that? A new batch every 6 months: is that timing workable? What’s falling out?
- Are stricter readiness requirements, financial security, site control, and the study fee making the load interconnect less speculative? Are forecasts lowering as a result?
- Is the transmission system ready? How might frequency variation or other issues impact grid operations? How are regional hubs affected, and what attributes dropped out?
- More vs. better: What’s missing from the discussion in terms of ensuring that everyday Texans aren’t harmed in the rush to interconnect and build? Is this load a mirage?
