TX SB1978

Prohibits electric cooperatives, electric utilities, municipally owned utilities, and other persons from interconnecting facilities in the ERCOT power region to facilities located wholly or partly outside Texas, or to facilities connected directly or indirectly to out-of-state facilities

Requires any proposed interconnection to meet four conditions: it must not subject ERCOT to additional federal control or jurisdiction; the Public Utility Commission must determine the interconnection is in the public interest; an application must be filed at least 180 days before seeking any Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order; and the commission must grant a certificate of public convenience and necessity after any FERC order is obtained

Public interest determination by the commission must consider technical attributes, expected costs to the public, commission-adopted criteria, reliability assessments by ERCOT, and any other relevant information

Exempts facilities already in service as of December 31, 2014, and preserves approval pathway for facilities under interconnection agreements from FERC Docket No. TX11-01-001 (directing ERCOT-SERC connection)

Takes effect immediately with two-thirds legislative vote, otherwise September 1, 2025, and applies only to interconnections made on or after the effective date