August 28, 2026: ERCOT’s ADER process keeps Base on the board

Today is August 28, 2026, and the clearest new signal on Base Power is still procedural, not commercial.

ERCOT’s August 17 DSWG agenda included a dedicated item called “Base Power ADER Resource Volume Update,” with Base Power and Nathan Mancha named on the agenda. That is confirmed primary evidence that Base is still actively inside the ERCOT ADER process. It is not, by itself, proof that Base has qualified dispatchable megawatts on the grid.

Why does that matter? Because ERCOT’s own Phase 4 ADER deck now sketches a model for aggregate distributed energy storage resources that would be dispatched nodally through SCED, ERCOT’s security-constrained economic dispatch system. The deck also says the pilot is nearly fully subscribed and cites 249 MW of qualified ADER capacity. That is confirmed primary evidence about ERCOT’s policy path, but it is still policy evidence, not Base-specific proof of dispatch.

In plain English, nodal dispatch means the grid operator is telling a resource what to do at a specific point on the network, not just settling it in a broad price bucket. That is more precise, but it is also harder to qualify and verify. Base’s ADER story depends on whether its batteries can clear that bar as a real grid resource, not only as a retail backup product.

On the consumer side, Base’s public product pages still look steady. The Core page still shows Texas and Illinois availability, a 39.2 kWh battery, an Oncor price of 13.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, a $695 installation fee, and a $19 monthly membership fee. That is a company claim, not independent verification, but it suggests the offer surface has not been reset.

The help center also looks unchanged in structure. It still groups support content into 61 backup battery service articles, 4 general information articles, 17 Texas energy service articles, and 9 Illinois energy service articles. Again, that is a company-maintained surface, so it is best read as a sign of steady support organization rather than proof of install volume or customer satisfaction.

There is also some permit-side movement in Texas. TDLR’s TABS record for Base Power Met 3 Phase 2 shows status “Review Complete,” with a tenant finish-out for office occupancy, a start date of August 3, 2026, and a completion date of March 12, 2027. That is confirmed primary evidence of permit progress only. It does not prove occupancy, commissioning, or production.

Base’s hiring surface continues to hint at scale-up, but only as hints. An Ashby posting for Workplace Lead says Base is planning for a future campus and factory targeted for early 2028 completion, while the role manages current HQ and BF1 workplace operations. Another posting for Engineering / Manufacturing Finance and Business Operations says the role owns BOM trajectories, production cost per unit as the line scales from hundreds to thousands of batteries a month, and capex for factories. Those are company claims inside job ads. An open role is not a hire, and neither posting proves an operating factory or actual production rates.

The complaint picture is still unresolved. The PUCT complaint dashboard is current through July 31, 2026, with a complaint summary timestamp of August 28, 2026 at 11:15:59 AM. But the dossier does not give a Base-specific row or trend, so the company-specific complaint signal remains unknown.

So the scorecard for today is simple. ERCOT is still keeping the ADER thread alive. Base’s retail surface still looks steady. Texas permit activity has advanced. But the operating proof we do not yet have is the proof that matters most: filed ERCOT or PUCT records naming Base resources, qualified MW, telemetry validation, or dispatched services.

Put differently, this is a company that still looks like it is building the machinery for a larger grid role, but not yet showing the public paper trail that would let us say the role is live. That distinction matters because it separates ambition from operations, and it is the line we need to keep drawing until the evidence changes.

What to watch next is concrete and falsifiable. First, a filed ERCOT or PUCT record that names Base resources and qualified dispatchable MW. Second, a certificate of occupancy, electrical final, commissioning record, or interconnection completion tied to Base facilities. Third, any Base-specific complaint trend on the PUCT dashboard. Fourth, any recall, warranty, RMA, or supplier corrective-action record that changes the fleet reliability picture. Until one of those shows up, the most accurate description of Base is still process progress, not proven grid-scale operation.