米テキサス州の電力小売業者が経営破綻、寒波の大停電で

【ヒューストンＡＦＰ＝時事】米テキサス州最大の電力小売業者ブラゾス電力協同組合が1日、連邦破産法11条（民事再生法に相当）を申請し、経営破綻した。先月の寒波による大停電で電力料金が一時急騰し、送配電網運営機関から請求された21億ドル（約2200億円）を支払えなくなった。（写真は米テキサス州ヒューストンの変電所）
　テキサス州では電力各社が厳しい寒波への準備ができておらず、２月中旬に州全域で７日間の大規模な停電が発生した。１６の協同組合を通じて同州の１５０万人以上に電力を供給しているブラゾスは、同州の送配電網を管理するテキサス州電気信頼性評議会（ＥＲＣＯＴ）から「甚だしく高額な請求」を受けた。
　クリフトン・カーネイ執行副社長兼ゼネラルマネジャーは裁判文書で、「２０２１年２月初めの時点では、ブラゾス電力のように財務が安定していた協同組合が、月末に破産申請を準備するとは思いもよらなかった」と述べた。
　カーネイ氏は、寒波の間に電力卸売価格は４日以上連続で１メガワット時当たり９０００ドル（約９６万円）となり、ＥＲＣＯＴからはその他の費用と合わせて１メガワット時当たり２万５０００ドル（約２７０万円）以上を請求されたと説明。「この価格の影響は壊滅的だった」
　価格変動プランで契約していた一般家庭では、１万６０００ドル（約１７０万円）を請求された例もあり、ＥＲＣＯＴは寒波による電力市場価格の一時的な高騰に備えていなかったとして、顧客や政治家から厳しく批判されている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/03-13:41）

The largest electricity co-operative in Texas has filed for bankruptcy protection after it received a $2.1 billion bill from the state's grid operator following last month's winter storm that left millions without power.
Bitterly cold weather in mid-February left millions without electricity across Texas as the Arctic conditions overwhelmed local utility companies ill-prepared for such weather.
Brazos Electric Power Cooperative, which supplies 16 co-op members serving more than 1.5 million Texans, said it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday after receiving excessively high invoices from the state grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
According to court filings, Brazos said it was hit with invoices from ERCOT totaling more than $2.1 billion, with payment required within days.
Brazos said the bill for the seven-day black swan winter event was nearly three times its total power cost of $774 million for the whole of 2020.
As the month of February 2021 began, the notion that a financially stable cooperative such as Brazos Electric would end the month preparing for bankruptcy was unfathomable, executive vice president and general manager Clifton Karnei said in a court filing.
He said during the storm the price for wholesale electricity was set at the maximum price of $9,000 per megawatt hour for more than four straight days and ERCOT imposed other ancillary fees totaling more than $25,000 per MWh.
The consequences of these prices were devastating.
ERCOT has come under fire from customers and politicians over its apparent failure to prepare for the cold weather and soaring bills due to the temporary massive spike in the energy market.
Residential customers who signed for variable-rate plans have reported receiving electric bills as high as $16,000.
Brazos said it filed for bankruptcy protection as it cannot and will not foist this catastrophic financial event on its members and those consumers.
Let me emphasize that this action by Brazos Electric was necessary to protect its member cooperatives and their more than 1.5 million retail members from unaffordable electric bills, Karnei said in a press release.
Texas is the only state in the continental US to have its own independent power grid, meaning it was cut off when the weather hit.
State governor Greg Abbott has ordered an investigation into ERCOT, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also said it will probe the factors behind the power outages.