Staff of the Public Utility Commission of Texas have filed draft language for two proposed changes to Emergency Response Service (ERS) sought by Commissioners at a recent open meeting; namely, allowing ERS to be used to mitigate local congestion, and allowing ERS resources to be relieved of their obligations if they are selected as an alternative to an RMR agreement by ERCOT.

See prior story for further discussion of these changes and other debated changes concerning ERS

Specifically, in addition to using ERS during an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) event, the draft proposed amendments to the rule would authorize ERCOT to use ERS, "to forestall or mitigate involuntary load curtailment in the event of actual or anticipated localized transmission congestion."

The draft proposed rule changes would also establish a process where ERS resources could be relieved of their ERS obligations in order to allow them to serve as RMR alternatives

The draft language provides, "If, during an ERS contract period, the owner of a participating ERS resource enters into an agreement with ERCOT under which the resource serves as an alternative to a reliability-must-run (RMR) resource, the ERS resource's obligation shall be extinguished on the effective date of the agreement for the remainder of the contract period for all hours in any ERS time period that coincides in part or in whole with any hours for which the resource is obligated to provide service as an RMR alternative. The QSE representing the resource shall receive no payment for that resource for such ERS time periods for the remainder of the ERS contract period. Any ERS resource or group of sites in an ERS resource that is obligated to provide ERS for the purpose of addressing local congestion, or that has offered to provide such ERS, may not be offered to provide service as an RMR alternative for any hours in which the resource is already obligated to provide ERS."