The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider three proposed behind-the-meter power arrangements for large electricity users, a new demand management framework for data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations, and several major electric utility rate cases during its Thursday meeting.
The commission is scheduled to meet at 9:30 a.m. July 30 in the Commissioners’ Hearing Room on the seventh floor of the William B. Travis Building in Austin. The 46-item agenda also includes ERCOT enforcement settlements, transmission line cases, utility rulemakings and an update on the agency’s Sunset review.
Among the meeting’s most closely watched items are three separate applications seeking approval for net metering arrangements between electricity generators and large customers.
Item 14 involves a joint application from West Texas Solar Project II LLC and Silver Basin Digital Infrastructure LLC. Item 17 concerns Comanche Peak Power Company LLC, which operates the Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Somervell County. Item 22 is a joint application from Willow Springs Wind Farm LLC and Haskell DC Owner LLC. All three are scheduled for discussion and possible action.
Unlike traditional residential rooftop solar net metering, these applications involve large industrial customers located alongside power generation facilities. Under the arrangements, customers would offset their electricity consumption with the generator’s output rather than drawing all of their power from the electric grid. The commission’s decisions could influence how future data centers and other energy-intensive facilities connect to the grid and how their demand is reflected in ERCOT’s long-term planning.
The meeting also includes a proposed rulemaking aimed at managing rapidly growing electricity demand from large industrial customers.
Item 29, Project No. 58482, would publish proposed rules creating a Large Load Demand Management Service. Publication would begin the public comment process for a proposal designed to address increasing requests from data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities seeking to connect to the Texas grid. The initiative follows direction from the Texas Legislature during its 2025 session to develop a framework for managing large electrical loads.
Commissioners will also consider two enforcement settlements involving ERCOT reliability requirements.
One settlement, under Docket No. 59502, involves Stanton Wind Energy LLC and allegations related to compliance with state law and ERCOT protocols governing the reporting of forced generation outages. Another, Docket No. 59562, concerns Garland Power & Light and compliance with ancillary service requirements and non-spinning reserve deployment standards used to maintain grid reliability.
Several high-profile utility rate proceedings are also on the agenda.
Commissioners are expected to consider a final order in Texas-New Mexico Power’s rate case, AEP Texas’ annual systemwide nonfuel rate adjustment, Southwestern Public Service’s distribution cost recovery factor, Southwestern Electric Power’s fuel cost reconciliation and a final order on El Paso Electric’s system resiliency plan.
The agenda also includes two transmission line cases serving renewable energy projects. Commissioners will consider actions involving Lone Star Transmission’s proposed Phantom Hill-to-Tiger Solar 345-kilovolt transmission line in Jones County and Wind Energy Transmission Texas’ proposed Muleshoe-to-Lyra Solar and Lyra battery energy storage transmission lines in Borden County.
Other business includes multiple water utility cases, a proposed rule implementing House Bill 3092 regarding transmission line certificate amendments, another implementing House Bill 2712 affecting water and sewer utility rate cases, ERCOT oversight reports and a petition from a group of Texas residents seeking changes to the commission’s procedural rules.
The meeting concludes with agency business, including discussion of the Public Utility Commission’s Sunset Advisory Commission review and its legislative appropriations request.