Meeting Summary – 09/10/24 RMS Meeting

1 – Antitrust Admonition – John Schatz

2 – Agenda Review – John Schatz

• No update from RMTF this month.

3 – Approval of RMS Meeting Minutes – Possible Vote – John Schatz

• Consensus to move the revised August RMS meeting minutes (version two) to the combo ballot for vote.

4 – Technical Advisory Committee TAC Update – John Schatz

• Both NPRR1227 and RMGRR181 were approved by TAC and are moving to the next phase.

5 – ERCOT Updates

5.1 – Flight Update – David Michelsen

• Focus on Texas SET 5.0 until November.
• Market notices sent regarding application and signup deadlines in July.
• Successful coordination for registrations; resolved long-standing registration issues.
• Ongoing connectivity testing; in good shape with tracking tests.
• Day one transactions to start on the 23rd; Retail market test environment outage scheduled for Friday.
• Flight scheduled to conclude on October 4th with contingency period through October 18th.
• 29 new CRs registered, with 25 for DUNS+4 and 3-4 new CRs not affiliated.
• 113 CRs registered for Flight 0924; ongoing connectivity testing with 182 completed out of an expected 500-515.

5.2 – Retail Projects Update – David Michelsen

• Project update for Texas SET scheduled to go live second week of November.
• Go-live date specifically on the Monday following that weekend.
• Detailed schedule to be reviewed soon.

5.3 – IT Report – Mick Hanna

• Service availability SLA’s were met for both retail and MDT incidents and maintenance.
• Maintenance was conducted on the 25th for retail and the 22nd for non-retail.
• Potential changes discussed to align retail and non-retail maintenance schedules.
• MarkeTrak performance: Monthly averages were below the 12-month average post-upgrade.
• ListServ activity: 3950 posts, 448,000 emails sent; WMS had 55 posts, 6 new subscriptions, and 1 unsubscription; TDTMs had 4 posts with no new subscriptions or unsubscriptions.
• Issues with unsubscribes due to cybersecurity actions were discussed.
• Specific issue with Oncor folks automatically being unsubscribed was acknowledged; a conference call will be set up to address this.
• Transition to on-prem for listserv identified automatic unsubscribes caused by cybersecurity barriers.
• Troubleshooting and potential solutions for the listserv unsubscribes problem were discussed.

5.3.1 – SLA Discussion for 2025

• Introduction of a 1-hour release window during weekdays for minor updates like Java patches and user interface corrections.
• Weekend releases will still be used for larger patching and system upgrades.
• Align the new release practice with existing grid and market data transparency schedules.
• Need to meet National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for patching within a 35-day timeline.
• Long term vision includes shifting to a system where both sites are active to minimize downtime.
• Current release dates were set based on feedback to avoid summer end-of-month releases.
• TDSPs (Transmission and Distribution Service Providers) expressed concerns about impacts on metering systems at month-end.
• Any retail transactions for retail customer choice will not be blocked during the weekday releases.
• Protocols for notifications and transparent communication of planned outages to prevent unexpected downtime.
• Consideration of the impact of release schedules on retail operations, particularly during month-end and the first of the month.
• Discussions about scheduling potential changes during the day versus late in the evening to minimize disruptions.
• Need for stakeholder input to determine the least disruptive times for necessary updates and patches.

5.4 – Demand Response Survey Reminder – Cory Carswell

• Corey provided a progress update on the 2024 annual demand response survey.
• 86% of responses were received from retail electric providers as of last week.
• All responses from reps received. All responses except for one received from non-opt entities. 
• Total of 111 reps required to report; 59 indicated active participation in demand response programs.
• Reported data covers about 6.15 million ESI IDs, similar to last year.
• 21 non-opt in entities reported active demand response programs.
• Participation was seen from 10 LSEs and 20 TDSPs.
• ESI ID extract files to be sent to reps by the end of the next day.
• October 15 is the deadline for initial submission of participation data.
• October 31 is the final submission deadline, including corrections and event data.
• November 7 is the final corrections deadline for customer counts and event data for non-opt in entities.
• Feedback: No changes in product categories; referred to binding documents for further details.
• Question regarding the relationship with a rulemaking PUC project (56966) looking to reduce average residential load. No direct correlation identified.
• Clarification provided on the definition of ‘111 reps’ as ‘111 DUNS’.
• Question about the 2023 final report: Not produced yet due to issues identifying crypto mining loads. A more thorough job to be done before presentation.

6 – Texas Standard Electronic Transaction Texas SET Working Group – Kyle Patrick

• Provided an update on the Texas Standard Electronic Transaction (Texas SET) Working Group.
• Conducted a flight track presentation to help attendees understand navigation and usage, which lasted around 20-30 minutes.
• Discussion on handling the current test version compared to previous ones.
• Test beds are scheduled for the next week with day one on September 23 (9/23).
• Highlighted successful engagement and participation for the flight exercise, leading to some cleanup with retailers.
• Mentioned the voting item on the 2025 flight schedule, previously tabled last month, to be revisited.
• Next meeting scheduled for next week as a joint MCT and Texas SET WebEx session at 09:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

6.1 – 2025 Flight Schedule – Possible Vote – Paul Yockey

• Discussion on the proposed 2025 flight schedule.
• No changes were made to the schedule since the last discussion.
• Concerns were raised previously about turnaround times for providing connectivity scheduling.
• Market participants mentioned Juneteenth as a new holiday, impacting schedule but manageable.
• No significant feedback received other than previous concerns.
• Consensus reached to move the proposed 2025 flight schedule to the combo ballot.

7 – Market Coordination Team – MCT – Kathryn Thurman

• Kathryn Thurman presented an update.
• Reviewed 814_04 implementation guide redlines from change control 851.
• Reviewed updated business requirements for TXSETCC850 and TXSETCC851
• Reminded about available documentation on the MCT page (business requirements, TDSP ESIID extract, Siebel Service order extract, change controls, draft redlines, SEF files, implementation plan).
• Discussed changes to be handled next week regarding moving the 814_20s from TDSPs to Saturday morning prior to the shutdown.
• Addressed the county name addition to the 814_20 in version 4.08, noting potential issues if transactions are not processed correctly before the version change.
• Proposed moving the suspension time for 814_20s transactions to 6:00 AM Saturday for better processing adjustment.
• Discussed LSE files processing during the transition, noting that ERCOT requests no LSE files should be sent during this time.
• Centerpoint will hold ERCOT’s LSE files from being sent but will continue to send to SMT, leading to a two-day gap for ERCOT.
• Requested a vote on this transition plan before October’s WMS meeting; discussion and vote will happen at MCT and Texas SET on the 17th.
• Plan for an email vote after Texas SET meeting for quick approval.
• Mentioned the necessity of clearing out queue to avoid issues with switch-hold transactions potentially being stuck unprocessed.
• The importance of aligning transition schedules and ensuring no backlog of transactions impacting ERCOT processes after the update.

8 – Combo Ballot – Vote

• Motion to approve as submitted August RMS Meeting Minutes.v2 and to approve as presented the the 2025 Flight Schedule.
• Vote passed unanimously.

9 – Break

10 – Lubbock Retail Integration Task Force – LRITF – Sheri Wiegand

• Discussed decimal places in 867 and 810 transactions, allowing up to six decimal places starting September 2.
• Noted differences between the sample test data which had only two decimal places.
• Further discussion needed on the absence of decimal language in Texas SET guides.
• Lubbock has gap retrieval and is working on automating reversioned LSE file submission to ERCOT.
• SMT readiness for Lubbock and addressing onboarding for smart meter Texas utilization.
• Weekly market call held on Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. to update on various issues.
• 650_01s for reconnect processing issues and safeguard implementations.
• 650_01s disconnects had premium charges instead of standard fees; fix in progress.
• Lubbock working with ESG to ensure 867 IDRs transactions are being sent, addressing out of sync conditions.
• Backdated move-ins and issues with credit notes for accurate billing.
• Issues with missing dates in 867s for received 810s being addressed with Oracle.
• Weekend due dates for 810s process corrected, no late fees assessed currently.
• LOA Historical usage request format aligned with retail market guide.
• Lubbock requests 15 minutes’ gap between sending disconnect and reconnect transactions to prevent cancellations.
• Issues with 814_20 maintenance transactions, require specific changes handled by creating a new ESI.
• SMT onboarding and distribution loss factors calculation methodology discussed as lessons learned.
• Pending rate case for Lubbock presented, waiting for city council approval.
• Encouraged representatives operating in the territory to attend LRITF meetings.

11 – Texas Data Transport and MarkeTrak Systems – TDTMS – Working Group – Dee Lowerre

• Encouragement to join the meeting on the 18th to continue discussions about the calendar and release.
• Update on proposed transition plan for inadvertent gain/loss MarkeTrak with added details on timing and events.
• Critical deadline on Friday at 05:00 p.m. for the TDSP to send and be ready for backdated move-ins on Saturday.
• Reps to submit backdated move-ins hitting the deadline, continuing through the following week.
• Saturday and Sunday are Non Business Days; going live on the 10th and resuming business as usual on the 11th.
• Online modules are being updated and reviewed through RMTTF.
• WSDL is being tested with no changes; inquiries to be directed to ERCOT retail operations.
• TDTMS scheduled for September 18 and October 24 at 01:00 p.m. to accommodate 817 changes training starting at 09:30 a.m.
• 817 functionality to be available in RMTE on 9/16 with a market notice planned.
• Marketrak analysis ongoing with 2024 data; focus on making the information substantive and usable despite its anonymity.
• Next meeting’s agenda includes a 09:30 a.m. training and 01:00 p.m. TDTMS meeting on September 18.

12 – Profiling Working Group – PWG – Bill Snyder

• Reviewed BUSIDRRQ and BUSLRG profile accounts.
• ERCOT monthly profile accounts now include LP&L and Nueces.
• Remaining IDRRQ likely EPS meters or will not change until specific conditions are met.
• Discussed annual validation process enhancements.
• ERCOT performing formal data analysis for AV enhancements.
• Data analysis to be presented at next PWG meeting on August 24 at 09:30 a.m. via Webex.
• Goals: Increase TDSP efficiencies, retain REPs value to load profile, provide accurate load profiles to the market.

13 – Other Business – John Schatz

13.1 – Potential Reschedule of November RMS Meeting

• Discussion on rescheduling or canceling October and November RMS meetings.
• November RMS meeting is scheduled during Texas set 5.0 week and is likely to be canceled.
• Consideration to move October RMS meeting later in October by one or two weeks.
• Objective to minimize the gap between the October and December meetings by adjusting the schedule.
• Emphasis on the importance of having the December RMS meeting to recognize significant efforts completed.
• Further guidelines will be provided based on feedback from members.

13.2 – 2025 Block Calendar

• Review of 2025 block calendar; no voting required, just approval via thumbs up
• PRS plans to meet monthly on Wednesdays
• TAC will meet nine times in 2025, down from eleven in an earlier version
• ERCOT board will meet five times in 2025, compared to six times in 2024
• ROS will maintain the same meeting frequency as in 2024
• WMS has made no changes to their schedule
• First or second Tuesday of every month proposed, same cadence as 2024
• Multiple thumbs up received for the proposed calendar
• Pam to note RMS approval

13.3 – PUCT Open Project List

• The current list attached to the back of the RMSE agenda is outdated.
• RM’s leadership proposes removing the list from the agenda.
• The readership of the list is perceived to be low or non-existent.
• Alternative means exist to monitor PUC dockets impacting this segment.
• Consensus was reached to remove the open project list from future agendas.

13.4 – TNMP Rep Workshop – Rob Bevill

• TNMP workshop scheduled in Louisville on October 2.
• Updated invitation sent by Andrea with correct RSVP method.
• Open invitation for everyone; encouraged attendance.
• Discussion on possible dates for October meetings (15th or 22nd) to avoid conflicts with other events.
• Decision to possibly have the October meeting on the week of the 15th and determine if it should be in person or via Webex.
• Acknowledgement of preparation for Hurricane Francine, especially thanking Centerpoint for organizing a preemptive call.
• Recognition of the need for early communication and over-preparation in future similar situations.
• Market notices and updates from TNMP and other entities appreciated.

14 – Adjourn