By Carlos Nogueras Ramas
Texas Tribune
With demand expected to soar, the Legislature passed bills aimed at boosting supply and making the grid more reliable. Bills to impose more regulations on renewables died.
The Texas Legislature only partially got what it wanted from its plans to help the state meet its growing energy demands.
Lawmakers passed bills that give the state more control over the electricity that flows through Texas, fund power generation projects and create an office to advance the state’s nuclear energy interests.
But experts said the 140-day session was also defined by the bills that didn’t survive — namely, all legislation meant to hamstring renewable energy.
“I think (the legislative session) ended in a decent place, particularly considering how it might have gone,“ said Doug Lewin, author of the Texas Power and Energy Newsletter.
“I think the proposals that would have been most damaging to the Texas economy, consumers, and reliability … did not make it through.”
Texas faces a soaring demand for energy, driven predominantly by data centers and new petrochemical facilities.
The expected spike in demand will require the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s main grid manager, to deliver nearly double the amount of electricity in six years.
Throughout the session, lawmakers stressed that their intent was to craft legislation that will help ERCOT keep the lights on for everyday ratepayers during emergencies or demand spikes.