Why was power cost so high during the Winter Storm Uri event? Was it limited to Brazos Electric and the entities who purchase power through them?
The extraordinarily high power cost during that event was charged through ERCOT to all power providers that purchased energy on the market during that time. The Texas Public Utility Commission, who directs ERCOT, set a market price cap of $9,000 megawatt-hour (“mwh”). This means that the price that can be charged for energy purchased through the market can be up to $9.00 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). ERCOT market prices remained at the $9,000 per mwh price cap for days, about 415 times normal pricing levels. This effected all power providers, not just Brazos or entities who purchase power through Brazos.