NPRR458  Establishment of ERCOT’s Central Counterparty Role

This Nodal Protocol Revision Request (NPRR) establishes ERCOT as the central counterparty to all transactions in the ERCOT market, except those involving bilateral trades or self-arranged services. The changes introduced by this NPRR do not alter ERCOT’s functions as the Independent System Operator for the ERCOT Region. Rather, the changes are being proposed to establish mutuality between ERCOT and buyers and sellers in the ERCOT markets. The mutuality established by the proposed changes is intended to facilitate ERCOT’s ability to effectuate set-off in bankruptcy proceedings related to a Market Participant default. This, in turn, is intended to mitigate uplift to Market Participants that may result from monies owed to ERCOT that may not otherwise be recovered in such bankruptcy proceedings due to a lack of mutuality. Consistent with the establishment of ERCOT as the central counterparty, the NPRR deletes all references to ERCOT acting "as agent for" or "on behalf of" a Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE) when it purchases energy or Ancillary Services.