Charles Dunn, a former member of Lubbock Power and Light's electric utility board, has said that the utility cannot offer retail competition to customers transitioned to ERCOT so long as about one-third of the municipal utility's load remains in the Southwest Power Pool region due to a long-term contract with Southwestern Public Service, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports

As reported by EnergyChoiceMatters.com, LP&L, the third largest municipal electric utility in Texas, serves over 104,000 electric meters in the Lubbock area. It is seeking to have 470 MW of its total load of approximately 600 MW join ERCOT effective June 1, 2021. However, LP&L acquired distribution facilities serving approximately 170 MW in Lubbock from SPS in 2010. LP&L's partial requirements contract with SPS related to that 170 MW of load expires in 2044 and is not addressed by the proposed ERCOT transition.

Daniel Pope, Mayor of the City of Lubbock, has stated in testimony filed with the Texas PUC an, "intent to pursue retail customer choice for City of Lubbock ('Lubbock') electric customers served by Lubbock Power & Light."

LP&L also filed with the PUCT testimony from David McCalla, Director of Electric Utilities of LP&L, who stated, "I fully support the Mayor's expression of intent, and I support his desire to allow Lubbock customers to have access to the ERCOT competitive retail market." 

However, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports that Dunn, in a social media posting, has stated, "We can’t let 2/3rds of the city have competition and not the other third ... "What you are hearing is politics."

The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal further reports that, "Matt Rose, spokesman for LP&L, agreed that the utility will not give some customers the chance to choose while not providing that same option for other customers."

See the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal for more