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Join us at our November Membership Luncheon for a discussion with PUC Commissioner Lori Cobos about the Permian Basin Reliability Plan! 

About Commissioner Cobos

Lori Cobos was appointed as Commissioner at the Public Utility Commission of Texas by Governor Greg Abbott on June 17, 2021. 

Commissioner Cobos has over 20 years of broad experience in the Texas electric power industry in both the public and private sector. Cobos has served in several senior-level positions at the PUC, including as an advisor for two PUC Commissioners, assistant counsel to the PUC Executive Director, and senior policy analyst, and served as in-house counsel at ERCOT.  In the private sector, Cobos has served as a director of government and regulatory affairs for a power generation company and as principal owner of her own legal and consulting firm, where she assisted clients with legal, regulatory, public policy, legislative, and business development matters in the Texas electric power industry.

Among many professional accomplishments, Commissioner Cobos has been appointed by Governor Abbott to three statewide positions. Commissioner Cobos was appointed to the PUC after Winter Storm Uri devastated the state and she has played a critically important role in major statewide initiatives to fortify the reliability and resiliency of the state’s electric grid. Commissioner Cobos has also played a leading role in the development of major transmission infrastructure in key areas of the state. Most recently, she led the Commission’s efforts in approving billions of dollars of transmission infrastructure in the Permian Basin region.

Commissioner Cobos serves as an ex officio member of the ERCOT Board of Directors and serves on the Regional State Committee of the Southwest Power Pool. She is the President of the Southeastern Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and has served on the Executive Committee of the Organization of MISO States and as President of the Entergy Regional States Committee.

Prior to her appointment to the PUC, Cobos served as Chief Executive and Public Counsel for the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) by appointment of Governor Abbott, representing the state’s millions of residential and small commercial consumers in the electric, water, wastewater, and telecommunications industries. Through her leadership at OPUC, she elevated the agency's profile and strengthened the agency's legal representation of consumers, resulting in over $1.3 Billion in consumer utility bill savings. Cobos also served on the Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation Board of Directors by appointment of Governor Abbott.

Cobos is a member of the State Bar of Texas and has served as the chair of the Public Utility Law Section. Cobos received a J.D. from Texas Tech University and was a member of the Texas Tech Law Review. Cobos received an M.A. in Public Administration and a B.B.A. in General Business, with Magna Cum Laude honors, from Sul Ross State University.  

Cobos is a proud West Texan and a native of Alpine, Texas.