Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider
Starting January 3, 2023, members will see a new line item on billing statements labeled Brazos Financing Rider. This new tariff recovers Brazos Winter Storm Uri costs and the cost of exiting our all-requirements wholesale power contract with Brazos.
The Brazos Financing Rider is a per kilowatt-hour tariff. Based on calculations in the tariff, the amount will be 1.2 cents/kWh beginning in January 2023 and will be re-evaluated every six months. As the co-op grows, the Brazos Financing Rider kWh amount is expected to decrease.
Tri-County Electric Cooperative chose to list out the Brazos Financing Rider on member billing statements so members see every charge included in the billed amount. These costs could have been rolled into PCRF, but the leadership team and board wants to maintain utmost transparency.
Brazos Hardship Fund
A hardship fund was established as a result of the Brazos bankruptcy proceedings to help offset costs for low-income members. Applications are open for qualifying, low-income residential members to apply. Eligibility criteria and documentation requirements are available on the program website.
Tri-County Electric Co-op compiled resources to address all member questions, including:
- A list of frequently asked questions
- Member communications on power costs and the Brazos bankruptcy
- What happened during Winter Storm Uri
- Why Brazos went bankrupt
- Member financial impact
- Future power cost outlook
Tri-County Electric Co-op's Relationship with Brazos
Tri-County Electric Co-op is a not-for-profit, member-owned distribution electric provider. We purchase power through an all-requirements power contract from Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, a Waco-based generation and transmission cooperative. Brazos provides power to Tri-County Electric Co-op and 15 other distribution electric cooperatives that power residential, commercial and industrial consumers in parts of 68 counties in Texas. In 1941, Tri-County Electric Co-op and the other member-cooperatives formed Brazos, and entered into long-term, all-requirements contracts to secure power delivery service and procure reliable, low-cost power.
Brazos owns generation plants and sells power that is generated by the fleet to the ERCOT market each day. Brazos purchases power from the ERCOT market on the behalf of its 16 member-cooperatives, including Tri-County Electric Co-op, to meet our load requirements. Tri-County Electric Co-op sells the power to you, the member, as the end consumer. Additionally, Brazos owns transmission lines and substations that tie in to our distribution system that powers your homes and businesses. Each month, Brazos bills Tri-County Electric Co-op our portion of the monthly energy sales, delivery fees and administrative costs. The only way Brazos can repay its obligations and operating costs is by passing the costs to member-cooperatives through the all-requirements contract.
What Happened to Brazos
Prior to Uri, Brazos modeled and estimated Tri-County Electric Co-op’s load demand would be sufficiently supported by the Brazos generation fleet. However, during Uri, the Brazos generation fleet failed. Therefore, revenue from the Brazos generation fleet was not available to offset the costs of electricity needed to support the Brazos member-cooperatives. Brazos failed to have the foresight to purchase additional power in advance at lower costs to serve the anticipated rise in member cooperative loads as other utilities in Texas did. Ultimately, the power purchases made late by Brazos were not enough to avoid market volatility and exposure to high costs. Nearly all the power not supplied by Brazos plants was purchased on the $9,000 per MWh ERCOT market, and natural gas not purchased in advance subjected Brazos to the high market costs of natural gas. As a result, distribution co-op members of Brazos received exorbitant power bills for seven days of electricity – nearly three times the entire year of 2020 for most Brazos co-ops, including Tri-County Electric Co-op.
On March 1, 2021, Tri-County Electric Co-op was brought into an unprecedented situation when Brazos filed chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the costs it incurred during Winter Storm Uri and its inability to pay those costs.
It is important to note we are not alone, and the impacts of Winter Storm Uri and the extraordinary costs that were incurred during this time affected the ERCOT market and the Texans it serves. Retail Electric Providers, municipalities and cooperatives all must distribute costs to the end consumer. Some providers started recouping these costs in 2022. Tri-County Electric Co-op worked to find the best solution to reduce the impact of these extraordinary costs to you, our members. When other providers securitize or finance in ERCOT, those costs will not be added to your bills.
Tri-County Electric Co-op Takes Care of our Member-Owners
In the week leading up to Uri, Tri-County Electric Co-op anticipated severe conditions and proactively prepared to keep the power on for our members. During Uri, Tri-County Electric Co-op focused on managing the rolling blackouts mandated by ERCOT while minimizing any disruption in service so that our members could remain safe and warm in their homes during the extremely cold weather that paralyzed the entire State of Texas. Lives were saved because members had electricity that kept their homes warm for their family and friends who were not on Tri-County Electric Co-op system. It was simply not an option for Tri-County Electric Co-op’s board and management to turn off the power for extended periods to save in on electricity costs. Human lives would have been at stake.
Over the past 18 months Tri-County Electric Co-op’s Board of Directors and management have left no stone unturned to protect the rights of the members through the bankruptcy process. Tri-County Electric Co-op has worked on behalf of our members to successfully negotiate settlement terms for the Brazos bankruptcy and to further reduce our obligation to Brazos. Brazos originally billed Tri-County Electric Co-op $791 million for electricity consumed during Uri. With the work of the Tri-County Electric Co-op Board, management, hired consultants and attorneys, Brazos filed their exit plan in the bankruptcy case which provides that Tri-County Electric Co-op will pay $477 million for its allocated share of Uri costs incurred by Brazos (a negotiated reduction of $314 million). Although it is hard to contemplate a power bill of this size for such a short period of time, without the reductions, the amounts would have financially crippled our cooperative’s ability to continue to serve you with reliable power and maintain its stability.
In addition to these monetary savings, and at the insistence of the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT with Tri-County Electric Co-op's support, Brazos was ultimately forced to make changes to the ranks of its senior management team, including the resignation of its Executive Vice President & General Manager. Additionally, to mitigate the costs of Uri, Brazos will sell its generation fleet.
While many stakeholders worked together to achieve the negotiated reductions in the power bills incurred by Brazos during Uri, we believe that these reductions would not have been possible if the Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors had not hired bankruptcy counsel and consultants to stand strong for our co-op and you, the members. In May 2021, Tri-County Electric Co-op’s Board of Directors and management were the first to call for management changes at Brazos and for the sale of the generation assets to generate money to allow Brazos to emerge from bankruptcy and, most importantly, to reduce the burden to our member-owners.
Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors and senior management are members of this co-op, and we are in this together alongside our members. We understand the grave impact that rising natural gas costs, high inflation, rising gasoline prices and rising interest rates have had on each member of the co-op. Tri-County Electric Co-op has regularly communicated with you since the beginning of the Brazos bankruptcy filing so that members would know what is happening and how the bankruptcy may impact you and your family. That has not always been popular, but the Tri-County Electric Co-op board and senior management team believes it is critical to be transparent so members have access to information regarding the Brazos bankruptcy. You can find all communications in the Communications Center to the right.
Brazos Bankruptcy Financial Impact to Members
In the aftermath of Uri, the Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1580 (codified at Texas Utilities Code §§ 41.151 – 41.163), which authorizes electric cooperatives to utilize a financing mechanism called “securitization” to pay the extraordinary costs and expenses resulting from Uri. Tri-County Electric Co-op is one of three Brazos member-cooperatives that considered alternative financing options to fund these extraordinary expenses. In lieu of securitization, Tri-County Electric Co-op utilized a traditional cooperative financing method and entered into an agreement with CoBank, a cooperative and member of the National Farm Credit System, to finance Tri-County Electric Co-op’s obligations related to Uri and the Brazos bankruptcy.
On September 29th, 2022, your co-op's senior management team presented to the Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors an option to finance our allocation of the Brazos extraordinary costs which avoids securitization. By utilizing traditional cooperative financing, Tri-County Electric Co-op will have the flexibility to finance at lower interest rates, avoid excessive fees from Wall Street lawyers and bankers, prepay debt without penalties, and most importantly, Tri-County Electric Co-op will not lose ownership of member accounts receivables to bond holders. The CoBank financing will allow Tri-County Electric Co-op to spread the extraordinary costs and expenses attributable to Uri and the bankruptcy over a period of 25 years, and we will continue to develop ways to lessen the impact to members. Tri-County Electric Co-op will be able to utilize CoBank's retired patronage capital to reduce the debt before maturity, and the Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors will continue to govern all aspects of our co-op operations without bond holder requirements that are included in securitization. The Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors chose to finance bankruptcy-related costs with CoBank and the Farm Credit System because it provides the lowest cost of all options and retains flexibility, without any exposure to Wall Street. We believe this models the sixth cooperative principle of “Cooperation Among Cooperatives” and adheres to Tri-County Electric Co-op’s mission of “taking care of our member-owners.”
The CoBank financing will allow Tri-County Electric Co-op to spread the extraordinary costs and expenses attributable to Uri and the bankruptcy over a period of 25 years, and we will continue to develop ways to lessen the impact to members. We closed on our financing in November, shortly before the bankruptcy plan became effective in December.
Tri-County Electric Co-op held a virtual town hall meeting for the members on November 21, 2022, explaining our financing plan and its impact to members. Notice of the virtual town hall meeting was in the November Texas Co-op Power magazine. A recording of the town hall is available here. Additionally, Tri-County Electric Co-op held a virtual rate hearing on December 12, 2022 and notice of the meeting was in the December Texas Co-op Power magazine. A recording of the rate hearing is available here.
Looking Ahead at Power Costs
As a result of the Brazos bankruptcy, Tri-County Electric Co-op's all-requirements contract with Brazos will be amended to provide that effective March 1, 2023, we will procure our own power supply independent from Brazos. This freedom allows Tri-County Electric Co-op to purchase power directly from any of the more than 300 generating plants and other power traders that sell power in the ERCOT market.
For decades, Tri-County Electric Co-op has been buying large quantities of power from Brazos while never receiving the benefit of the economies of scale appropriate to the size of our load. As the third largest cooperative in Texas with a sizable load, Tri-County Electric Co-op should attract good rates for the members while eliminating the subsidies to others. The bankruptcy process has been the only way for Tri-County Electric Co-op to seek fairness in these rates and to maintain local control of our power supply costs which represent over 75% of the co-op's expenses.
By directing our own power purchases, Tri-County Electric Co-op should receive favorable power rates, which will flow directly to you, the members. For example, in 2018, the Tri-County Electric Co-op Board of Directors did a study of Brazos rates and determined there were millions of dollars per year that you as rate payers were paying to subsidize the other Brazos cooperatives. The Tri-County Electric Co-op board formally asked to exit our all-requirements contract with Brazos and received an exit cost of approximately $1 billion. Now, we are able to pay our portion of the Brazos Winter Storm Uri costs and exit Brazos for $477 million.
We firmly believe the ability to buy competitively in the power market will allow Tri-County Electric Co-op to mitigate the impacts of the charges that our members have seen on their 2022 bills and will see on their future monthly bills. Because we will be able to reduce our power purchase costs, it will lower the costs that are passed through to our members.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider recovers Brazos Winter Storm Uri costs and the cost of exiting our all-requirements contract with Brazos. The per kilowatt hour tariff will be listed on all bills starting January 3, 2023. The Brazos Financing Rider is 1.2 cents/kWh and will be re-evaluated every six months.
As Tri-County Electric Co-op members, we are collectively paying for the power Brazos billed during Winter Storm Uri and to exit our all-requirements contract with Brazos as our wholesale power provider.
Brazos filed for chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy, meaning their debts are not simply erased. This type of bankruptcy allows the business to remain, but they must file a plan to chart a better path forward.
Tri-County Electric Co-op was ordered through the bankruptcy court to pay our portion of the costs, which came to $477 million. During the bankruptcy proceedings Tri-County Electric Co-op leadership fought for you, our members, reducing our original bill by nearly 20%.
Tri-County Electric Co-op financed our portion of the costs with CoBank, a member of the Farm Credit System, for 25 years. We will not be penalized for paying off the loan early and will be able to apply capital credits earned from CoBank to pay off the loan to lower the costs and impact to members. The cost per kWh will be re-evaluated every six months to accommodate for growth on the system.
Tri-County Electric Co-op leadership believes traditional financing was the best option for our members. Through Senate Bill 1580, co-ops had the option to securitize Winter Storm Uri costs. Many electric providers took advantage of this option, but our leadership chose to finance with CoBank to keep money local rather than lining the pockets of Wall Street investors. Financing through CoBank provides benefits such as earning capital credits on the loan that can be used to lower bill costs for members, no penalty for paying off the loan early, and keeping full control of our finances rather than turning over our books to investors.
The Brazos Financing Rider will be applied to every meter on the Tri-County Electric Co-op system through the length of the loan.
From the beginning the leadership team and board have been fighting for our members and advocating for their best interests in the bankruptcy. We have been open and transparent throughout the process and worked to find the best financing option available with the lowest financial impact.
The leadership team met with state and federal legislators, as well as agencies like FEMA, to seek funding. Unfortunately, there is no available financial assistance. We continue to search for relief options.
A hardship fund was established as a result of the Brazos bankruptcy proceedings to help offset costs for low-income members. Tri-County Electric Co-op expects to have the application and eligibility requirements in the first half of 2023.
Additionally, Texas 211….
Tri-County Electric Co-op partners with a local community organizations that may help with electric bills.
Communication Center
Darryl Schriver, President/CEO, and the board of directors has provided members regular updates on the Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider, Brazos bankruptcy and power costs. These transparent updates provide members a realistic view to understand member impacts.
Below is a timeline of Texas Co-op Power magazines that include Brazos bankruptcy and power costs updates for members. Find full versions of these Texas Co-op Power magazines are located under the News tab.
February 1, 2023
The February Texas Co-op Power magazine includes additional information on the Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider and a look at the future of the co-op's power supply future.
January 3, 2023
The January Texas Co-op Power magazine includes additional information on the Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider and an update on the Brazos bankruptcy.
December 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the December Texas Co-op Power magazine includes a timeline of the entire Brazos bankruptcy starting in February 2021. Additionally, the magazine includes information on the Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider tariff that will be on member bills starting January 2023. Members can learn more about the BFUP Rider tariff on Monday, December 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the virtual rate hearing.
November 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the November Texas Co-op Power magazine includes information on the upcoming November 14 confirmation hearing for the Brazos bankruptcy exit plan. Additionally, he mentions how the co-op will use traditional financing through CoBank to cover our portion of the debt rather than securitizing for 15-30 years. Learn more about the status of the Brazos bankruptcy and the financing plan at the virtual town hall at 6:30 pm. on Monday, November 16.
October 3, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the October Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy, including outlining key points of the proposed exit plan. Additionally, pages 20-21 outline changes to member bills.
September 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the September Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on power costs and how natural gas prices and heat have impacted electric costs across the state.
August 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the August Texas Co-op Power magazine takes a deeper look at natural gas prices and how they impact electric costs across the state, and ultimately member bills.
July 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the July Texas Co-op Power magazine explains how rising power costs are impacting members bills.
June 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the June Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on power costs and how your dollar is spent.
May 2, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the May Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy after 14 months into the process. Leadership continues to keep you, the members, at the forefront of all decisions. On page 19, you will find an update from the board of directors on power costs and growth.
April 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the April Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy, specifically regarding the ERCOT trial. After many days in trial, parties agreed to move into mediation.
March 1, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the March Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy.
February 1, 2022
On page 19 of the February Texas Co-op Power magazine, board chairman Max Waddell reported on recent board activity. The board continues to be an active participant in the Brazos bankruptcy. Waddell reports to the membership that the bankruptcy judge did give Brazos control over the restructuring plan, despite our opposition. The board is also watching fuel costs that are directly related to the cost of power.
January 4, 2022
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the January Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy. Co-op leadership continues to fight for you, the members during the process. We are actively engaged and keep the members in the forefront of every decision. We continue to fight for you in the Brazos bankruptcy and will do our best to keep you informed through the process.
December 1, 2021
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the December Texas Co-op Power magazine includes an update on the Brazos bankruptcy and a look at the upcoming winter. Tri-County Electric Cooperative's distribution system held up well during Winter Storm Uri with most outages tied directly to the mandatory load shed. The state legislature passed multiple bills related to the state's electric grid, and the PUC and ERCOT are working to carry out legislation. Natural gas prices are at the highest in years and has increased the cost of wholesale power. We continue to fight for you in the Brazos bankruptcy and will do our best to keep you informed through the process.
September 1, 2021
The September Texas Co-op Power magazine includes full Annual Meeting details, the Annual Report, financial statements and a member-specific election ballot. President/ CEO Darryl Schriver provided a Brazos bankruptcy update on page 18, a recap of the bankruptcy is in the Annual Report on page AR 8.
August 2, 2021
The August Texas Co-op Power magazine includes a Brazos bankruptcy update.
July 1, 2021
The July Texas Co-op Power magazine includes a legislative and Brazos bankruptcy update.
June 1, 2021
The June Texas Co-op Power magazine has updates on the Texas electric grid conditions and Brazos bankruptcy.
May 3, 2021
The May Texas Co-op Power magazine has updates on the winter storm, grid crisis and Brazos bankruptcy.
April 5, 2021
Darryl Schriver's President/CEO column on page 18 of the April Texas Co-op Power magazine includes information on what happened to the state's electric grid during Winter Storm Uri and the impacts the storm had across the state. Additionally, Schriver explains why Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, our wholesale power provider, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 1. At this time, the impacts of Brazos's bankruptcy on our co-op is unknown, but we will fight for you. We are in this together.
The Member Information Bulletin that accompanies member billing statements often has information related to power costs and the Brazos bankruptcy.
Below is a timeline of Member Information Bulletins that include Brazos bankruptcy and power costs updates for members. Find past Member Information Bulletins under the News tab.
October 3, 2022
The October Member Information Bulletin has information on the new bill redesign and how power costs have fluctuated drastically due to Winter Storm Uri
September 1, 2022
The September Member Information Bulletin has four reasons why electric bills are higher this summer than last summer.
August 1, 2022
The August Member Information Bulletin answers questions we are getting from members on power costs and PCRF.
July 1, 2022
The July Member Information Bulletin explain how rising power costs are impacting members bills.
June 1, 2022
The June Member Information Bulletin covers rising power costs, the reason behind the increases, and how members' bills are impacted.
March 1, 2022
The March Member Information Bulletin includes information on the power costs and understanding your electric bill.
June 1, 2021
The June Member Bulletin has updates on the Texas electric grid conditions and Brazos bankruptcy.
May 3, 2021
The June Member Bulletin has updates on the winter storm, grid crisis and Brazos bankruptcy.
April 5, 2021
The April Member Information Bulletin includes an update on the winter storm, grid crisis and Brazos bankruptcy. Additionally, the Brazos winter storm adder will not be on April billing statements. Brazos removed this 2-cent per kilowatt-hour adder on the past power bill.
March 1, 2021
The March Member Information Bulletin includes updated information on what we know regarding February electric charges for members.
Click here for the press release regarding Tri-County Electric Cooperative's response to the Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
December 20, 2022
The recording from the December 12 Virtual Rate hearing is now available.
December 12, 2022
Join us virtually for the rate hearing on the Brazos Financing Utility Plan Rider tariff. Stream live or dial 855-710-6229 to listen by phone. If you are unable to join virtually, a recording will be available by Monday, December 19.
November 28, 2022
The recording from the November 21 Virtual Town Hall is now available.
November 21, 2022
President/CEO Darryl Schriver will go live at 6:30 p.m. to update members on the Brazos Bankruptcy. Stream live or dial 855-710-6229 to listen by phone.
October 4, 2022
Tri-County Electric Cooperative's 83rd Annual Meeting of the Members went live at 7 p.m. If you missed the meeting, a recording is available. President/CEO Darryl Schriver updated the members on the entire Brazos Bankruptcy and announced the co-op's financing plan with CoBank to cover our portion of the debt.
September 15, 2022
President/CEO Darryl Schriver went live on Facebook with an update on the Brazos bankruptcy and power costs. Watch the full video here. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the video.
August 24, 2022
President/CEO Darryl Schriver went live on Facebook to address member concerns on power costs and provide a Brazos Bankruptcy Update. Watch the full video here. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the video.
December 17, 2021
On Tuesday, December 14, Tri-County Electric Cooperative participated in the hearing regarding Brazos's restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy. Judge David Jones's ruling gave Brazos more time and full control over its restructuring path. One of the paths Brazos is considering is securitization, meaning our members would be passed millions of debt over 15-30 years. Brazos's two largest member-cooperatives, CoServ and Tri-County Electric Co-op, filed court papers against this and stated Brazos should explore selling generation assets.
The Wall Street Journal Bankruptcy division keeps track of notable bankruptcy cases, including Brazos's bankruptcy. An article on Tuesday's hearing was included in the December 16 daily e-newsletter. We continue to fight for the best interests of our members. We are in this together.
May 18, 2021
Tri-County Electric Cooperative member may be eligible for federal assistance. The Texas Rent Relief Program was granted $1 billion in federal assistance to help Texans with unpaid rent and utility bills dating back to March 13, 2020. Read the full release here.
March 22, 2021
Darryl Schriver, President/CEO, went live on Facebook to give an update on the winter storm and grid crisis. He covered billing, the 2 cent Brazos winter storm adder, the Brazos bankruptcy and the political landscape surrounding the grid crisis and legislative hearings. Watch the full video here. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the video.
March 1, 2021
The March Member Bulletin includes updated information on what we know regarding February electric charges for members. View the member bulletin here.
Click here for the press release regarding Tri-County Electric Cooperative's response to the Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
February 24, 2021 - Rates and Billing Update
Darryl Schriver, President/CEO, went live on Facebook to discuss last week's events and how it will impact members. Local, state and national news include information on last week's events. We appreciate your patience and understanding with the winter storm and rotating outages to protect the grid. This is a statewide issue. Our employees worked hard to take care of you. We appreciate the nice notes and kudos. Your comments have been documented and shared with our employees to let them know you appreciate their work. Watch the full video here. You do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the video.
Friday, February 19, 2021
10: 00 am - ERCOT replaced the Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) 3 and with an EEA 1, ending rotating outages. Texans are still asked to conserve with they can to protect the grid and help keep healthy reserves. More energy-saving tips are available at bit.ly/TCECSaveEnergy
Additionally, we have received questions regarding member bills. We expect members to have high kWh consumption due to the cold temperatures and heaters running longer, and therefore higher bills. Your bill amount is based on the amount of kilowatt-hours you consume and when you are off, you do not use electricity and will not be charged for it. When you are on, you will be using electricity.
Schriver covered this topic in Wednesday's video update. Read the highlights at below in the 12:30 pm update or watch the full video here.
7:45 am - We continue to monitor the ERCOT grid and the EEA 3 is still in place. Please continue to conserve where you can to prevent more rotating outages.
Tips from ERCOT to reduce electric use:
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Thursday, February 18, 2021
5:00 pm - Linemen restored all members from the winter weather storm. Crews will continue to work any outages that come in as ice begins to melt and temperatures slowly rise. We thank you again for your patience and understanding.
The EEA 3 is still in place but we are not conducting rotating outages. Texans are responsibly conserving energy to protect the ERCOT grid and preventing more rotating outages.
1:00 pm - Crews have restored most members from the winter storm and are working to restore approximately 20 members. If you experience an outage, please check your main breaker at the meter base to make sure it did not trip before calling the co-op to report.
Our load shed requirements remain at 0 MW and ERCOT still has the level 3 alert on the grid. Please continue to conserve where you can.
7:30 am - Crews worked through the night and restored 650 members experiencing continuous outages. Approximately 100 members are still out and crews are restoring as fast as possible. Three shifts of linemen have worked around the clock for the past 120 hours restoring members from the winter storm that hit on Saturday.
During the night, ERCOT dropped our load shed requirement to 0 MW and members were able to enjoy a consistent flow of electricity. We remain at 0 MW, but ERCOT has not lifted the Emergency Energy Alert (EEEA) 3. We are not out of this quite yet and are asking members to conserve energy where they can to avoid more rotating outages.
If you experience an outage, please check your main breaker before reporting your outage to us. Report your outage here, through the app TCEC Connect, or by phone at 817-444-3201.
Tips from ERCOT to reduce electric use:
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
7:00 pm - Tonight's video update is available here. Members do not have to have a Facebook account to watch the video. Here are the highlights:
- We have approximately 750 members experiencing continuous outages. Our crews continue to restore these members.
- The ERCOT grid is looking better as generation comes on the grid. A wind farm was brought back in the grid today. Going into the night our load requirements are 57 MW.
- Please continue to conserve where you can. This is helping the grid.
- Rotating outages will continue through the night. We are hopeful that ERCOT protocols may change tonight and we can incorporate some other feeders into the rotation to ease the pressure on the members who have been experiencing rotating outages since Sunday night/Monday morning.
- If you experience a continuous and complete outage lasting longer than 3 hours, please let us know by calling 817-444-3201.
12:30 pm - The focus of today's video update was answer questions from our members.Watch the update here. Here are the highlights:
- ERCOT's operating reserves are the highest they have been since Saturday.
- Paying the fine for not complying with the ERCOT mandate is not a wise decision. ERCOT is here to protect the entire grid and keep it from going completely out. These measures are based on science and engineering standards.
- Members experiencing the rotating outages is simply based on location based on ERCOT's orders. Approximately 45% of our feeders meet ERCOT's protocol, so those feeders are included in the rotation. We do get to decide which feeders are in the rotation. We are following ERCOT's orders and are not discriminating against members.
- Bills:
- Your bill amount is based on the amount of kilowatt-hours you consume. When you are off, you do not use electricity and will not be charged for it. When you are on, you will be using electricity. We expect members to have high kWh consumption due to the cold temperatures and heaters running longer.
- Our rates are set. We have not changed our rates since 2002 and the board does not expect a rate increase.
- Power cost recovery factor (PCRF) will be looked out. We have had similar crises like this before, and PCRF adjustments have been fair and spread over a long period of time to keep bills steady.
- Power generation deficiencies come from various areas. First, these cold temps are hitting the entire state, from the panhandle to Galveston, which increases demand across the entire state. Second, the temperatures froze well heads and limited the flow of natural gas to generating plants. Generation failed to get on the grid due to frozen lines or they were not called on fast enough.
- We are not targeting specific members. We are spreading load shed across our feeders that can be rotated based on ERCOT's protocol. We are not discriminating against certain members because we don't have the time or resources to hand-select one load over another. We will never discriminate against members.
- The Tri-County Electric Co-op system is solid. The load shed and rotating outages is caused by ERCOT. Our lines and equipment are in great condition due to years of regular maintenance. The outages we do have are due to load and increased use due to the low temperatures causing equipment failures. These failures happen in any storm that hit our system. We have three rotations of linemen working around the clock to restore members.
8:00 am - Rotating outages will continue as we comply with ERCOT's load shed mandate. This morning, our obligation was 134 MW and 57,000 members are included in the rotation. We ask that you continue to be patient with us as we comply and do our part to protect the Texas grid and prevent a state-wide blackout. If you are a member experiencing a continuous, constant outage without cycling on and off, please let our system operators know by contacting our offices.
Tuesday, February 16, 2021
7:00 pm - The evening update video included additional information on why some members experience rotating outages and others do not. We also reminded members to let us know if they are experiencing a continuous outage lasting more than three hours and predictions on how long rotating outages will continue. Watch the video update here.
12:00 pm - We want to hear from members who have been completely out of power and not experiencing rotating outages. We are asking all members who have been out of power, continuously, for more than three hours to report to the co-op online here, through the member app TCEC Connect, or by phone 817-444-3201. Watch the full update and video from Darryl Schriver here.
9:00 am - We continue to comply with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) mandate to shed load through rotating outages. Members can expect rotating outages to last 60 minutes. "On" time will vary depending on how much load we are required to shed. We are currently required to shed 181 MW of load from our system.
If you experience an outage lasting more than 90 minutes, please let us know by reporting online at here or through the member app TCEC Connect so our system operators can dispatch a crew.
We ask that you be patient as our employees and crews as we do what we can to take care of our members during this situation.
Monday, February 15, 2021
7:00 pm - The ERCOT Rotating Outage Update 2 video is available to watch here.
4:20 pm - Management is compiling information in preparation for the next Facebook live update. Darryl Schriver will go live in the 6 pm hour with information for our members regarding the rotating outages.
12:30 pm - Darryl Schriver, President/CEO, delivered an update on the ERCOT mandated rolling outages via Facebook Live. To watch the video and get the update, click here. Roughly 58,000 members are out of power, with 2,400 being snow/weather-related and 55,800 members involved in the rotating outages.
8:30 am - We are now shedding 158 MW of load - approximately 58,150 members - from our system. ERCOT instructed Brazos, our generation and transmission co-op, to shed more load to relieve the grid. Members will see more frequent and longer (less than one hour) rotating outages to accommodate ERCOT's requirements.
5:30 am - ERCOT posted a press release explaining the rotating outages were caused by extreme winter temperatures taking electric generators offline. Read the full release at http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/225210
4:00 am - We are operating rolling outages throughout our system. These temporary, controlled outages are done at the request of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid operators. ERCOT requested utilities across the state to shed load to help reduce pressure on the grid. These procedures are designed to protect the reliability of the Texas grid and prevent uncontrolled outages.
What to know:
- If your power is out, it is due to the controlled rolling outages to ease pressure on the grid.
- These are temporary outages that may last up to 1 hour.
- ERCOT has not released when they believe the load shed will be over.
- Your power may go off more than once during this controlled scenario.
- All crews have been pulled from the field for their safety. Once the grid is out of the rotating outages phase, crews will work to restore members experiencing outages.
- If you have an emergency, dial 911.
The last time ERCOT enacted system-wide rotating outages was in December 1989. This is the fourth time in ERCOT history to enact rotating outages.
Monitor the ERCOT grid here.
2:45 am - ERCOT issued an EEA level 3 and load shed and rotating outages are underway. Our system shed 81.4 MW to ease pressure on the grid.
From ERCOT: ERCOT has issued an EEA level 3 because electric demand is very high right now, and supplies can’t keep up. Reserves have dropped below 1,000 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes; as a result, ERCOT has ordered transmission companies to reduce demand on the system.
This is typically done through rotating outages, which are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric service. This type of demand reduction is only used as a last resort to preserve the reliability of the electric system as a whole.
In these situations, each utility is required to lower the demand on its system based on its percentage of the historic ERCOT peak demand. While each utility is responsible for determining how to implement the required demand reduction, most utilities use rotating outages for this purpose. Rotating outages primarily affect residential neighborhoods and small businesses and are typically limited to 10 to 45 minutes before being rotated to another location.
Conservation Tips
ERCOT is asking consumers to conserve energy to help lower electric demand.
Sunday, February 14, 2021
5:00 pm - We continue to monitor the ERCOT grid and weather conditions. ERCOT is issuing a conservation alert asking all Texans to conserve where they can.
Tips from ERCOT to reduce electric use:
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Conserve. Conserve. Conserve.
11: 00 am - ERCOT asks all Texans to reduce electric use where possible. Demand (what Texans are using) continues to increase. Grid operators provided energy-saving tips that can help the entire grid:
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
See the full release below:
AUSTIN, TX, Feb. 14, 2021 – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is asking consumers and businesses to reduce their electricity use as much as possible Sunday, Feb. 14 through Tuesday, Feb. 16.
"We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas," said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. "At the same time, we are dealing with higher-than-normal generation outages due to frozen wind turbines and limited natural gas supplies available to generating units. We are asking Texans to take some simple, safe steps to lower their energy use during this time."
Here are some tips to reduce electricity use:
- Turn down thermostats to 68-degrees.
- Close shades and blinds to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and appliances.
- Avoid using large appliances (i.e., ovens, washing machines, etc.).
- Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.
- Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes.
Given the prolonged, below-freezing temperatures, conservation measures should be implemented safely and within reason.
ERCOT has the tools and procedures in place to maintain a reliable electric system during tight grid conditions. If power reserves drop too low, ERCOT may need to declare an Energy Emergency Alert, or EEA. Declaring an EEA allows the grid operator to take advantage of additional resources that are only available during scarcity conditions. There are three levels of EEA, and rotating outages are only implemented as a last resort to maintain reliability of the electric system.
Click here for more information on ERCOT’s emergency procedures during tight grid conditions.
Click here for more information on the additional tools and resources available to ERCOT when it declares an EEA.
How to track electricity demand
View daily peak demand forecast, current load and available generation on ERCOT.com.
Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO).
Sign up for the ERCOT mobile app (available for download at the Apple App Store and Google Play).
Consumer assistance
Public Utility Commission of Texas Hotline – 1-888-782-8477
8:45 am - WEATHER: The US Weather service is predicting heavy snow to cover our service territory today around noon. We already have a blanket of snow at our Aledo office and other communities we serve.
ERCOT: We continue to monitor the ERCOT grid. Right now, grid conditions are normal but they expect demand (what Texans use) will go beyond grid capacity (what is available to Texans) in the evening hours today. PLEASE conserve where you can today. Monitor the grid at http://www.ercot.com/
Remember:
- If you see a downed line, stay away and report it immediately.
- If you experience an outage, please report online at oms.tcectexas.com, through our member app TCEC Connect or by calling 817-444-3201.
- Do not run your generator indoors or use your gas stove to heat your home.
Be Safe:
- Do not travel unless you absolutely need to. If you must travel, reduce your speed and leave plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
- Have blankets and warm clothes on hand.
- Have water available if you rely on a water well.
Your co-op is here for you during this time. Please be patient, as our response times may increase due to our linemen driving large trucks and bucket trucks across snow and ice to restore any members.
Saturday, February 13, 2021
ERCOT is expecting the cold temperatures to cause significant high load consumption and record peaks. For the next 48 hours, the grid will be under extreme pressure. Please stay warm, but do what you can to conserve energy to protect the grid. We are looking good on our side, but we want to help protect the entire grid for all Texans.
Texas consumers can stay current on grid conditions by downloading the ERCOT app and following ERCOT on Twitter: http://www.ercot.com/news/releases/show/224996
The cold temps have settled in and any precipitation has turned to ice. We currently have a handful of outages and our crews are working to restore. Please let us know if you experience an outage by reporting online at oms.tcectexas.com, through the mobile app TCEC Connect or by calling 817-444-3201.
We ask for your patience as our linemen work to get all members restored.
Please stay home and bundle up if at all possible. If you must travel, please be safe.
Friday, February 12, 2021
Bitter cold temperatures are on the way. Here are a few tips to help you prepare. Remember: your heater will have to work harder the colder it gets.
Thursday, February 11, 2021
WEATHER WATCH: We continue to monitor the weather and prepare for the weekend. With weather like this, we face many challenges like ice on electric lines and equipment, and ice on tree limbs. The weight of ice accumulation can cause outages and downed lines.
Remember:
- If you see a downed line, stay away and report it immediately.
- If you experience an outage, please report online at oms.tcectexas.com, through our member app TCEC Connect or by calling 817-444-3201.
- Do not run your generator indoors or use your gas stove to heat your home.
Be Prepared:
- Make sure you have plenty of food in the pantry that does not require the oven, microwave or other electric appliance to prepare.
- Have blankets and warm clothes on hand.
- Have water available if you rely on a water well.
We are prepared, but ask for you patience and understanding for our linemen and crews working in the field.
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Cold temperatures are setting into our service territory. Are you prepared? We are staffed and ready to respond to whatever mother nature sends our way. If you experience a power outage, let us know by reporting online at oms.tcectexas.com, through TCEC Connect, or calling our offices at 817-444-3201.
