Pablo Vegas, a utility executive in Ohio, named ERCOT’s new CEO
MITCHELL FERMAN, The Texas Tribune - TuesdayPablo 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. ERCOT’s board announced Vegas’ hiring Tuesday.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 power grid disaster, when a strong winter storm left millions of Texans without power for days after freezing temperatures shut down natural gas facilities and power plants, which rely on each other to keep electricity flowing. Hundreds of people died.
Following the deadly blackouts, Texas politicians lambasted ERCOT’s board of directors because some of them did not reside in Texas, and many of them resigned. At the time, a bipartisan chorus from state lawmakers expressed frustration and disbelief that many ERCOT board members, despite extensive energy industry expertise, lived outside the state.
Now, a non-Texan will lead the state’s main power grid.
Vegas is executive vice president of NiSource Inc., and group president of the company’s utilities. The Indiana-based NiSource delivers natural gas to approximately 3.1 million customers across six states and electricity to about 470,000 customers in Indiana, according to the company.
Vegas, who was born in Peru and worked as president and chief operating officer for transmission company AEP Texas from 2008 to 2010, did not reply to questions emailed from The Texas Tribune on Monday. Vegas held a variety of other senior executive roles at AEP in addition to his two-year stint at the company’s Texas branch. AEP, which provides power to more than 5 million customers across 11 states, is based in Columbus, Ohio, where Vegas lives with his family.
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