Texas Leaders Sound Alarm on Future Power Grid Stability
If new estimates from ERCOT are correct, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick say Texas needs “an immediate review of all policies concerning the grid.”
Brandon Waltens | July 1, 2024
Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick are raising urgent concerns about the future stability of Texas’ power grid.
A joint statement released today follows recent testimony from ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas, who warned that Texas might need 150,000 megawatts of power to support its grid by 2030—just six years away.
Texas typically has around 85,000 megawatts of power from wind, solar, coal, nuclear, and natural gas sources.
The potential shortfall has prompted Abbott and Patrick to call for an immediate review of all policies related to the grid. In their statement, they highlighted the pressing need for action.
“If the new estimate is correct, the updated numbers provided by Mr. Vegas call for an immediate review of all policies concerning the grid.”
Last November, Texas voters approved Senate Joint Resolution 93, establishing the Texas Energy Fund. This fund provides a $5 billion low-interest loan program designed to incentivize the construction of more dispatchable natural gas plants. According to Abbott and Patrick, demand for these loans has been overwhelming, with the state receiving notices of intent to apply for $39 billion in loans—nearly eight times the available amount.
In light of the new projections for 2030, Abbott and Patrick announced plans to seek an expansion of the program to $10 billion to expedite the construction of new plants.
“The average plant will take three to four years to complete, and new transmission lines will take three to six years to complete,” they noted. “Texas is currently the fastest state to approve and build new plants and transmission lines because of our low regulations and pro-business policies, but we must move quickly.”
The Republican Party of Texas has made protecting the electric grid a legislative priority for the upcoming session, including ensuring the “delivery of abundant, reliable, and resilient energy.”
Unreliable energy sources like wind and solar—which the state has already spent billions of dollars subsidizing—infamously failed in the winter storm of February 2021, leading to massive power outages across the state.
With the state facing another round of extreme heat, recent polling revealed that most Texans believe an electrical grid failure could happen again this summer.
This article originally appeared here.
