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Vistra to Install New Gas-Fired Units at Permian Basin Power Plant

LCG, September 30, 2025--Vistra Corp. announced yesterday that it will proceed with the next phase of its capital plan to support grid reliability in Texas. In 2024, Vistra identified over $1 billion worth of potential capital additions in generation capacity within the Texas ERCOT market by 2028 if market conditions were supportive. Now, with West Texas' growing power requirements, particularly the state's expanding oil and natural gas industries, Vistra reached a final investment decision and confirms it will build two new advanced natural gas-fired power units on-site at its Permian Basin Power Plant.

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ERCOT Announces New Grid Research, Innovation and Transformation (GRIT) Initiative

LCG, September 24, 2025--Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT) yesterday announced its new initiative to increase its efforts to fully use and apply innovation and transformation through industry collaboration to best overcome the challenges and opportunities facing future grid operations. The new Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) initiative will advance research and prototyping of emerging concepts and solutions to better understand the implications of rapid grid and technology evolution and position ERCOT to lead in the future energy landscape.

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Industry News

Enron Executive Urged Legal Review of Partnerships

LCG, Jan. 15, 2002--Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay was urged in August of last year by a senior executive in the company to have a law firm examine the firm's involvement with and accounting practices concerning outside partnerships.

The executive, whom the Washington Post identified as Sherron Watkins, vice president for corporate development, worked for Andrew Fastow, the chief financial officer who handled Enron's dealings with the partnerships. In a letter to Lay, Watkins wrote, "I am incredibly nervous that we will implode in a wave of accounting scandals." Watkins also wrote, "is there a way our accounting gurus can unwind these deals now?"

The outside law firm of Vinson & Elkins interviewed Fastow following an Oct. 15 request for a legal review covering the concerns raised in the letter, investigators with the House Energy and Commerce Committee determined. The law firm's conclusions were that no further inquiry was needed, due to the awareness of the firm's senior executives of the facts that Watkins had emphasized. The day following the review, Enron announced third-quarter earnings representing $1 billion in losses, and a $1.2 billion reduction in shareholder equity.

Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, responded to the substance of the letter to Lay by issuing a call for documents covering the same issues as the letter, and those reflecting the internal response to the letter at Enron. John Dingell, D-Mich., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, asserted that "there's pretty strong evidence of insider trading, there's clear evidence of failure to file honest and correct annual reports."

Robert Bennett, Enron's Washington attorney, expressed concern that House members were making up their minds before a full investigation of the facts.

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