ERCOT announced it has hired Pablo Vegas, a utility executive who lives in Ohio, will be the new leader of Texas’ main power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Vegas becomes ERCOT’s first permanent chief executive in 16 months, since former CEO Bill Magness was fired in the aftermath of the February 2021 winter storm which left millions of Texans without power for days.
Texas politicians criticized ERCOT’s board of directors because some of them did not reside in Texas, and many of them resigned. At the time, a bipartisan state lawmakers expressed frustration and disbelief that many ERCOT board members, despite extensive energy industry expertise, lived outside the state.