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Meeting Summary - 05/13/2025 RMS Meeting
Grid Monitor AI▶️ 1 - Antitrust Admonition ▶️ 2 - Agenda Review ▶️ 3 - Approval of RMS Meeting Minutes (Possible Vote)
Motion to approve April 1, 2025 Meeting Minutes as presented added to the combo ballot.
Minutes were posted one day prior to the meeting. No comments were received from the attendees regarding the minutes. Redline edits were noted but were nonsubstantive. The revision involved a date change related to the CenterPoint competitive retailer workshop. With no objections, the minutes will move to the combo ballot for voting.
▶️ 4 - Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Update
The TAC meeting included lengthy discussions, particularly on the objective of firm fuel supply service (FFSS), which was brought up by Vistra. All technical meetings are recorded and available for viewing for those seeking in-depth updates. The RMS report had no voting items but provided updates on working groups and strategic objectives. The large flexible load task force has been renamed to the large load working group and will report directly to TAC. There was a change to the charter, and Julie Snitman provided an update on the large load interconnection status.
▶️ 5 - RMS Goals/Strategic Objectives (Vote) 05.-2025-RMS-Strategic-Objectives-REVISED-DRAFT.v.2.pdf
Motion to endorse RMS Goals/Strategic Objectives.V2 as submitted added to the Combo Ballot.
TAC proposed moving from goals to strategic objectives for itself and all subcommittees in February. ROS, WMS, and PRS have adopted strategic objectives. PRS initially planned to go with goals but later changed. Reviewed six RMS goals for 2025; a draft prepared by Kathy was sent to working groups. Texas SET made one change to the goals. Goal number six was initially left out due to a communication issue. Goal six involves facilitating summer and winter preparedness efforts and possibly supporting Mass Transition drills. A wording change was discussed for goal number four to include collaboration with market participants on retail process improvement and data transparency. Acknowledgment of the omission in the email due to copy-paste error, and explanation of context for wording changes. No objections were raised to the draft for 2025 RMS strategic objectives, moving to the combo ballot.
▶️ 6 - ERCOT Updates - 9:50 a.m. ▶️ 6.1 - Flight Update 06.-Flight-Testing-Update-to-RMS20250513.pdf
An update on Flight 0625 was presented. Initial notice for flight sent on March 19. First market reminder notice sent on April 9, with final reminder on April 30. The application deadline was April 16. The sign up deadline was April 7. Connectivity testing starts today, May 13. Transactions begin June 9. Flight concludes on June 20, with a contingency period ending on June 27. 9 new CRs registered for testing in flight, including 8 DUNS+4 CRs. 9 existing CRs registered, 7 testing for service provider changes, and 3 adding territories.
▶️ 6.2 - Retail Projects Update
Upcoming retail projects include the MarkeTrak and Siebel system upgrades. Initial installs in iTest identified extended processing times for database updates. Potential request for an extended outage in July to accommodate the upgrades is likely. Preferred upgrade timeline: Start earlier at 2PM on July 26 and conclude by midnight on July 27. If earlier start time is not approved, SLA might be exceeded but in a planned manner. Urgency in notification: Decision on the extended outage will be communicated by the end of the week via listserv. Feedback and vote on the extended outage to be discussed in the June or July meeting. Request to consider starting later, as automated processes for moves run on Saturdays. Importance of keeping stakeholders informed on any changes or impacts related to the upgrade.
Q&A:
What time will we be notified about the outage decision?
By the end of the week via listserv or direct communication.
When will the extended outage start?
Saturday, July 26 at 2PM, concluding through Sunday, potentially until midnight.
Can the start time be later?
Will be considered, but not preferred due to risk of exceeding the timeline late into Sunday night.
What if approval for early start isn't granted?
SLA might be exceeded in a planned manner, rather than extending late.
Next Steps:
Decide on the extended outage plan and communicate by week's end. Discuss and vote on outage timings in June or early July meetings.
▶️ 6.3 - IT Report 06.-ERCOT_IT_Report_May_2025_-_RMS.pdf
All SLA targets for retail and market data transparency were met. Site failover occurred for retail and listserv on April 6. First weekday release happened on April 24, successfully maintaining a one-hour outage window. No tickets or questions about the downtime were reported after the release. A Sunday outage was avoided due to the weekday release. An outage impacting retail services happened on April 23 due to a database issue, affecting "find ESI ID" and "find transaction" services. The issue was resolved with a workaround and a bug fix was implemented. Non-retail events included a site failover on April 3 and an application release on April 24. Volumes and performance for MarkeTrak remained consistent with the previous month. A new document on notifying ERCOT of issues was discussed, expected to be covered by Sheri in a future session.
▶️ 6.4 - Residential Demand Response Program
Ryan King provided a status update on the residential demand response program. A high-level proposal was presented last month to RMS. The first residential demand response workshop occurred on May 2. Feedback from stakeholders is requested by May 23. A second workshop is planned for June 16. Focused discussion with non opt-in entity municipal coop utilities scheduled for this Friday. Workshop materials are available online . Feedback can be emailed to Ryan King or Mohamed El-Madhoun by Friday May 23 (ryan.king@ercot.com and mohamed.el-Madhoun@ercot.com). Responses to feedback could be provided via email or summarized in the next meeting. A market notice may be issued before the next workshop.
▶️ 7 - Revision Requests Tabled at PRS and Referred to RMS (Possible Vote) ▶️ 7.1 - NPRR1266, Opt-Out Status Held by a Transmission-Voltage Customer Cannot be Transferred
Katherine Gross with ERCOT led the discussion on the NPRR aimed to identify and remove customers from exempt lists based on PUC's declaratory order if the ESI ID has a new customer. Data was shared at previous meetings regarding different information held by TDSPs, reps, and ERCOT about customers. Comments filed addressed discrepancies such as minor customer name changes (e.g., formatting differences) and proposed ERCOT's discretion over notifying PUC. Proposals by Vistra suggested keeping reps informed about ESI ID status when notifying PUC. A date certain was added for TDSPs to compare their old records to identify changes. Oncor's input requested ERCOT to take responsibility for name change discretion. Concerns were raised about legal responsibilities in name changes and list comparisons. Some parties suggested sending lists periodically to ERCOT for them to determine matches with original exempt lists. A request was accepted for a template of the automated report to be reviewed for compliance and understanding. TNMP and other entities expressed agreement with the process, whereas some expressed preference for ensuring privacy and security of customer data. It was decided to table the vote for another month to allow internal review and avoid liability issues, since timeline wouldn't be impacted. Discussion on possible actions by PRS if RMS does not move forward.
▶️ 8 - RMS Revision Requests (Vote) ▶️ 8.1 - OBDRR054, TDSP(s) Pre-Production Verification Testing
Motion to endorse and forward to TAC the 4/1/25 RMS report and the 4/16/25 impact analysis for OBDRR054.
No IA to ERCOT, no budget or personnel impact.
▶️ 9 - Revision Requests Tabled at RMS (Possible Vote)) ▶️ 9.1 - RMGRR182, Related to NPRR1264, Creation of a New Energy Attribute Certificate Program
RMS has not changed its handling of RMGRR182 and NPRR1264, opting to wait for PRS's decision before taking further action. No new information or action has been made this month compared to the last meeting. Plan to continue tabling the item until further developments from PRS are available. Next update to RMS will depend on PRS's actions. Discussion transitioned to the approval of April 1, 2025 RMS meeting minutes version two and RMS goals and strategic objectives version two. Meeting minutes were set to be approved as presented. RMS goals and strategic objectives were set to be endorsed as submitted.
▶️ 10 - NPRR1264, Creation of a New Energy Attribute Certificate Program (Possible Vote)
Mention of upcoming consideration at the May 14th PRS meeting Uncertainty about expected action at PRS for NPRR1264. Previous month’s meeting left the item tabled with no action taken.
▶️ 11 - Combo Ballot (Vote)
Motion to approve the combined ballot as presented passed unanimously with no abstentions.
▶️ 12 - Project to Upgrade SMT from FTP to SFTP & Disaster Recovery Exercise Update SMT-API_FTP-upgrade-RMS-May-13-2025-v7.pdf
Upgrade from FTP to SFTP for Smart Meter Texas (SMT) is being proposed by IBM and agreed upon by security teams. The upgrade includes enhancing security protocols around FTPS and API, and adding JWT token to API integration. Benefits include improved security and elimination of SSL certificate needs. The upgrade does not affect the SMT portal website and is specifically for reps and competitive service providers. A timeline over five months from May to September outlines development, testing, and go-live phases. Go live is set for August 23 with parallel operations of the new and old systems until decommission on September 12. Support includes web conferences, help desk assistance, and a dedicated support team during the transition. Reference materials are provided for high-level guidance but details will be covered in web conferences.
▶️ 13 - Texas Standard Electronic Transaction (Texas SET) Working Group 13.-Texas-SET-update_May-RMS_050725.pdf
Reviewed feedback for Flight 0225 with Paul and ERCOT; it was a successful flight with everything completed. Reviewed test script updates; these are available on ERCOT.com, with guidance on locating them for market participants. Discussed attack objectives with a minor suggested edit to enhance data transparency and availability. Started the process for reviewing the Texas market test plan, which will continue in the next meeting. In-person meeting scheduled for May 20 to further explore the Texas market test plan, with a Webex option available.
▶️ 14 - Profiling Working Group (PWG) 14.-PWG_update_to_RMS_20250513.pdf
Transition of TNMP's BUS IDRRQs to BUS LRG accounts expected to complete by end of Q2. Update on current annual validation process which began in March; reviewed account numbers and discussed future enhancements. Suspended previous year's annual validation, causing an increase in validation volumes this year. Validation changes across weather zones mostly aligned with previous years; coastal and Far West zones' default ratios considered accurate. Business profile changes in line with prior years; significant activity noted with Oncor. Explorations include setting a bandwidth for thresholds and analyzing concentration data for effective load factor categorization. Upcoming in-person meeting on the 21st, discussing profile revisions, annual validation enhancements, and updates. Concerns raised about costs and workload of the annual validation process, particularly for residential accounts. Discussion on the importance of annual validation for maintaining a competitive market, with suggestions for process improvement. CenterPoint's process costs significantly higher; call for coordination with other TDSPs to streamline processes. Need to reassess and update load profiles that haven’t been evaluated since 2018 highlighted. Differences in TDSP processes discussed, with some automating feedback while others manually review.
▶️ 15 - Retail Market Training Task Force (RMTTF) 15.-2025-05-13-RMTTF-update-to-RMS.pdf
Recent training held in Houston on April 30, hosted by CenterPoint, with over 50 participants. Participants included market participants, TDSP, service providers, representatives, PUCT, and ERCOT. Positive feedback on the trainers who were knowledgeable and engaging. Upcoming training called Texas5.0 will be held in Dallas at the Vistra Building with 18 seats still available. Retail market training also available as Webex on June 18. Future training for MarkeTrak planned for the fourth quarter of 2025, dates yet to be set. On-demand training modules available on the LMS website: MarkeTrak, Retail 101, Texas Set, and mass transition. Upcoming meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 26 at 09:30, available in person and via Webex at the Oncor Building. Participants planning to attend in person are requested to email Debbie McKeever for security arrangements. Encouragement for participants to reach out via email for any questions or training ideas.
▶️ 16 - Texas Data Transport and MarkeTrak Systems (TDTMS) 16.-tdtms_update_5_13_2025.pdf
Discussion of issues with concurrent licenses for MarkeTrak and steps taken to address them. Sheri Wiegand mentioned that ERCOT made changes to the system to resolve issues that occurred in February. Graph presented showed daily user engagement with noticeable drops during lunch breaks. Sheri emphasized the importance of reporting errors to ERCOT's service desk. Updates were provided on the MIS rewrite as a technical refresh without being an SCR. Participants encouraged to make suggestions about MIS aesthetics to TDTMS. Specific suggestions included making Find ESI' and Find Transactions more compact, and re-evaluating key dates presentation in transaction information. Future projects like the NAESB project and API upgrade expected in late 2025 were mentioned. SMT upgrade also being tracked by TDTMS. Sam Pak’s analysis showed inadvertent losses were 42% higher than inadvertent gains with detailed observations highlighted in blue on the report. Importance of resolving errors within 7 days reiterated, with the statistic of 85-93% resolution within 21 days emphasized as positive. A major improvement in the resolution time post Texas Set 5.0 was highlighted as a market success. Continued improvement in resolving inadvertent gain/loss data since the Texas Set 5.0 implementation noted. Sheri encouraged adaptation to process changes post Texas Set 5.0 to avoid delaying issue resolutions. Participants expressed positive feedback about the improvements and the importance of updated processing in the shops since November 15. Sheri concluded by appreciating the attention and the collaboration throughout the processes.
▶️ 17 - Other Business - 12:25 p.m.
Discussion moved to 'other business' on the agenda. Lubbock stabilization update was the first topic under other business. Michael was called upon to provide the update. Confirmation that Michael was audible before proceeding.
▶️ 17.1 - Lubbock Stabilization Update
The final discretionary fee repayments are nearly complete, with the last few being settled soon. Other financial obligations, referred to as 'buckets', are to be addressed shortly after discretionary fee repayments. SmartBeater Texas timeline: June go live pushed back from the original mid-May date, files will start being sent to SMT's test environment soon. A five-day and a two or three-day notice will be provided to market participants about data file availability. Current operations are stable, with consistent daily MarkeTraks incoming. Ongoing issues with data fixes are being addressed and improvements are being made to prevent recurrence. Clarification on data timeline: Initial data files will include 30 days of history, with potential for more. LOAs (Letters of Authorization) will be accepted for historical data requests beyond 30 days. A full daily sync file is planned, aligning with LSE daily data schedules. A day lag in data availability should be expected due to batch processing timings. Preparation and communication strategies are suggested to market participants to manage the day lag in data processing effectively.
▶️ 17.2 - CNP 2025 Competitive Retailer Workshop Update
Introduction of new leadership at CenterPoint Energy: Tony Bean replaces John Hudson as Director of Market Operations. Discussion of improving billing concerns with the leadership transition. Announcement of the workshop date: June 5th, with a social event including a pickleball tournament. Workshop location: Space Center Houston, scheduled for June 6th. Details on accommodations: Hotel rooms at NASA Hilton with a negotiated rate of $129 a night. Additional activities: Optional self-guided tour of Space Center Houston after the workshop. Encouragement to bring family members for a potential extended stay. Participants reminded to book hotel rooms early.
▶️ 17.3 - FTC Negative Option Rule aka Click to Cancel
The FTC extended the compliance deadline for the negative option rule from May to July. The rule includes the 'click to cancel' feature, initially targeting online subscriptions. PUC staff is aware of the rule, and discussions have been ongoing. Two retail trade associations, RESA and REAL, are considering filing formal comments with the FTC. The competitive electric industry was not the target of the rule, which focuses on automatic rollovers. The 'click to cancel' component allows contracts to be canceled as easily as they are initiated. Concerns exist about the implications of canceling contracts in the electric industry, such as potential power loss. Texas regulatory agencies believe they already have adequate customer protection rules. Retailers in the electric industry need to monitor compliance steps as the July deadline approaches.
▶️ 17.4 - 2026 Block Calendar
2026 Draft Block Meeting Schedule.v2.png
Consideration to move RMS standard meeting from first to second Tuesday of the month to avoid holidays like Labor Day, January 1st, and July 4th. Impact of meeting schedule on the completion of necessary reports by ERCOT staff. Suggested keeping some meetings on the first Tuesday if conflicts arose on the second Tuesday. Discussion of potential challenges if meetings are back-to-back with PRS meetings. Consideration of conflicts with school spring breaks in March and impact on committee members. Acknowledgement of willingness to adapt meeting schedules to accommodate holidays and other conflicts. Review of constraints for ERCOT LSE file processing and SMT requirements.
Next Steps
Revisit discussion during the June meeting after subcommittees have reviewed. Consider integrating feedback into potential calendar updates.
Other Comments
Discussion about separating LSE files by retailer for SMT processes. Current challenge of recreating a year’s worth of LSE data due to system limitations. Clarification on ERCOT vs SMT LSE file requirements.
Next Meeting: June 12
▶️ 18 - Adjourn
