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Lubbock Power and Light customers are getting closer and closer to competition in the electric market. On Tuesday, Lubbock Power and Light announced that the the Electric Utility Board voted to transition Lubbock Power and Light to the competitive electric market as soon as 2023.

If the Lubbock City Council votes in a final vote to move to competition, then customers would have over a year to get prepared for competition, which means shopping for a provider, choosing a plan, and figuring out what is best for them. That vote from the Lubbock City Council could come as early as next week at the Tuesday meeting.

So why wait until 2023 for competition? 30% of Lubbock still needs to transition to ERCOT. That's about 24,000 customers according to the Lubbock Power and Light press release.

The vote and move to competition would be historic according to LP&L as no other locally owned utility has voluntarily deregulated since 1999.

Under retail electric competition, LP&L would no longer serve as the city-owned electricity provider. Instead, customers could “shop” from multiple retail electric providers, each offering their own plans, pricing and contract terms. The retail providers would be responsible for buying and selling power, while LP&L would continue to own and maintain all transmission and distribution infrastructure, such as poles and lines.

“The return to competition has been on everyone’s minds for a long time, and I’m proud of LP&L staff and employees for putting the utility in a unique position to pursue historic change for our customers,” said David McCalla, Director of Electric Utilities. “LP&L will continue to serve our community with a renewed focus on ensuring reliable power now and well into the future.”

Customers in competitive markets visit PowerToChoose.org to compare electric plans. Soon, that could happen in Lubbock.

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