An agreement between the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and an affiliate of American Electric Power (AEP) known as Mutual Energy-CPL guarantees back-up electric service for residential and small commercial customers in an area currently served by TXU covering 51 Northeast Texas counties when retail competition began and this agreement is so far indefinite in order to keep the grid reliable.

The area covered by this agreement applies to the following counties: Anderson, Angelina, Bastrop, Bowie, Burleson, Caldwell, Cass, Cherokee, Collin, Delta, DeWitt, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Franklin, Freestone, Grayson, Harrison, Henderson, Hill, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jasper, Kaufman, Lamar, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Milan, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Rockwall, Rusk, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Trinity, Tyler, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Wood and Dallas County south of I-30 and east of Dallas Parkway. It is important to note that SWEPCO customers in any of the listed counties are not affected by the agreement.

The PUC has designated a "provider of last resort" (POLR) to serve as a safety net if a customers' REP cancels electric service during the term of their contract.