What Will Happen as LP&L Transitions Over to ERCOT?

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Starting on May 29th, LP&L crews will begin making the change over to the ERCOT power grid. Here's what to expect as that takes place.

On May 29th and May 30th, outages lasting around half an hour are to be expected for LP&L customers as the switch takes place. Matt Rose, LP&L spokesman, says that the switch is similar to unplugging a cord from one outlet and putting it into another, which is why the outages aren't expected to last very long.

You can actually enter your meter number at lpandl.com to find out when you should expect your 30 minute power outage. Only around 70% of LP&L customers will actually switch over to ERCOT during this time frame. Around 30% of customers will remain on the Southwest Power Pool for an undetermined amount of time.

LP&L says that connecting to ERCOT is a step towards retail electric competition in Lubbock, providing customers with a "flexible and diverse portfolio of Texas power."

This transition is happening despite concerns over the winter storm Texas was struck by in February. LP&L says the original benefits to joining ERCOT that were laid out back in 2015 remain today, but have acknowledged some decisions need to be made to fix the problems the ERCOT market faces.

Matt Rose has also said that every customer will be treated the same, meaning no changes in rates. In fact, this transition is said to eliminate the need to build a power plant that would cost between $350 to $700 million, and will eliminate the need for fixed capacity charges, cutting wholesale power costs.