Texas Utilities Code
§ 37.0561 — PLANNING FOR AND INTERCONNECTION OF LARGE LOADS
UT § 37.0561Title 2. PUBLIC UTILITY REGULATORY ACT · Part B. ELECTRIC UTILITIES · Ch. 37. CERTIFICATES OF CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY · Art. B. CERTIFICATE OF CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY
Statute text
View on source(a)For the purposes of this section, a large load customer includes an entity requesting an interconnection that exceeds the demand threshold adopted under Subsection (c) and a successor in interest to such an entity.
(b)The commission by rule shall establish standards for interconnecting large load customers in the ERCOT power region in a manner designed to support business development in this state while minimizing the potential for stranded infrastructure costs and maintaining system reliability.
(c)The standards must apply only to customers requesting a new or expanded interconnection where the total load at a single site would exceed a demand threshold established by the commission based on the size of loads that significantly impact transmission needs in the ERCOT power region. The commission shall establish a demand threshold of 75 megawatts unless the commission determines that a lower threshold is necessary to accomplish the purposes described by Subsection (b).
(d)The standards must require each large load customer subject to Subsection (c) to disclose to the interconnecting electric utility or municipally owned utility whether the customer is pursuing a substantially similar request for electric service in this state the approval of which would result in the customer materially changing, delaying, or withdrawing the interconnection request. The disclosure may withhold or anonymize competitively sensitive details. The commission by rule shall prohibit an electric utility or municipally owned utility from selling, sharing, or disclosing information submitted to the utility under this subsection other than a disclosure to the commission or the independent organization certified under Section 39.151 for the ERCOT power region, subject to appropriate confidentiality protections.
(e)The standards must require each interconnected large load customer subject to Subsection (c) to disclose to the interconnecting electric utility or municipally owned utility information about the customer's on-site backup generating facilities and require the interconnecting electric utility or municipally owned utility to provide the information to the independent organization certified under Section 39.151 for the ERCOT power region. For the purposes of this subsection, "on-site backup generating facilities" means generation that is not capable of exporting energy to the ERCOT transmission grid and that, in the aggregate, can serve at least 50 percent of on-site demand. The independent organization shall establish a threshold before or during an energy emergency alert at which the organization may issue reasonable notice that large load customers with on-site backup generating facilities may be directed to either deploy the customer's on-site backup generating facilities or curtail load. After the independent organization deploys all available market services, except for frequency responsive services, the independent organization may direct the applicable electric utility or municipally owned utility to require the large load customer to either deploy the customer's on-site backup generating facilities or curtail load. The independent organization shall include a deployment under this section as firm load shed when calculating any price adjustments for reliability deployments. This subsection does not:
(1)authorize or require a violation of any emissions limitation in state or federal law or a violation of any other environmental regulation; or
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Legislative history
Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 953 (S.B. 6), Sec. 2, eff. June 20, 2025.