Latest news with #PublicUtilityCommissionofTexas
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PUCT now accepting applications for Texas Energy Fund Outside ERCOT grant program
May 28—AUSTIN — The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) on Wednesday began accepting applications for the Texas Energy Fund (TEF) Outside ERCOT Grant Program. The Outside ERCOT Grant Program provides funding for transmission and distribution infrastructure or electric generating facilities in Texas outside of the ERCOT power region. Qualifying projects must address the modernization of infrastructure, weatherization, reliability and resiliency enhancements, or vegetation management. Applicants must complete and submit an application on the TEF Portal and file a separate submission statement on the PUCT Interchange under Project No. 57830. Information on the application process, project eligibility requirements, and additional resources for applicants can be found on the TEF Online website and in PUCT rule 16 TAC §25.512. The Outside ERCOT Grant Program is one of four TEF programs in the Powering Texas Forward Act. Texans voted to create the TEF through a constitutional election on November 7, 2023. The TEF provides grants and loans to finance the construction, maintenance, modernization, and operation of electric facilities in Texas inside and outside of the ERCOT power region. Additional information about the TEF and the Outside ERCOT Grant Program is available on the PUCT website.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TXOGA applauds strategic commitment to West Texas growth and energy security
Apr. 24—AUSTIN — The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) on Thursday took a major step in ensuring the long-term energy reliability and economic vitality of the Lone Star State by announcing that the buildout of the Permian Basin Reliability Plan will proceed using 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines — the highest-voltage transmission standard to be used in Texas. Following the announcement, Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) President Todd Staples issued the following statement: "Today's decision by the PUC to approve transmission lines in the buildout of the Permian Basin Reliability Plan further reinforces Texas' ongoing commitment to fostering economic growth, creating jobs and strengthening our energy independence. We thank PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson, Commissioners Kathleen Jackson and Courtney Hjaltman, as well as staff, for their diligent and thoughtful work to advance this project. Former PUC Commissioner Lori Cobos also worked extensively on this issue. This decision is critical to ensuring that reliable power is available for oil and natural gas production and industrial development across West Texas — enabling the energy sector to continue delivering affordable, secure energy to Texas, the nation, and the world." Conditionally approved in September 2024, the Permian Basin Reliability Plan addresses persistent concerns over insufficient transmission capacity in one of the most productive energy regions in the country. The plan is designed to support the region's strong and growing electricity demand and unlock continued economic development across the Permian Basin. The Commission's endorsement of the 765-kV configuration signals not only the urgency of West Texas growth but also confidence in the ability of Texas transmission providers to deliver the project on time and within budget, despite challenging economic conditions. It also reflects the PUC's investigation and conclusion that the 765-kV approach offers the best long-term path to expand ERCOT's capacity and meet the state's growing power needs. The buildout will represent the largest high-voltage transmission investment in Texas in more than a decade — a bold step toward future-proofing the grid and reinforcing Texas' global energy leadership.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas leads the way in wind, solar. An 'industry killer' bill could change that
Private property rights and pro-business principles are under siege while government overreach looms in Texas — and, ironically, it's at the hands of a small group of conservative lawmakers. Senate Bill 819 targets wind and solar energy development with a subjective, arbitrary review process, additional costs, and setbacks that can be changed at the stroke of a pen. The bill hands the Public Utility Commission of Texas the power to dictate what private landowners can do with their property, eroding both landowner rights and free enterprise. If passed, SB 819 will drive investment — in both renewables and the energy-intensive industries that fuel the 'Texas Miracle' — elsewhere, raise electricity costs and increase the risk of power outages. Worse, it sets a dangerous precedent for centralized control in a state known for its pro-business, limited-government approach. For a few so-called conservatives to weaponize the state against landowners hosting renewable energy projects is a stunning reversal of sacred Texas values such as limited government and individual liberty. Considering the fact that Gov. Greg Abbott has called private property rights 'a cornerstone of our values and our legal system,' how did we get here? At the turn of the century, Republican leaders welcomed renewables, allowing Texans to harness the state's affordable, God-given resources. The results speak for themselves: Texas leads the nation in renewable energy, installing nearly 80% more wind, solar and battery capacity than any other state; renewables produced about one-third of the power consumed in Texas last year; and ratepayers are estimated to save about $1 billion per month in wholesale electricity prices. Recently, Abbott championed Texas as number one in both wind and utility-scale solar power generation capacity, 'cement[ing] Texas as the energy capital of the world.' These projects inject billions into local communities — an estimated $20.2 billion benefiting over 75% of counties, and landowner lease payments estimated at $29.5 billion. This impact is especially profound in rural Texas, where such projects are often the only opportunity for large-scale capital investment. For nearly three decades, renewables have helped economies and landowners thrive. Somewhere along the way, however, energy became politicized. Instead of embracing Texas' signature 'bigger is better' mentality, some have sought to dismantle renewable energy success for partisan gain. This misguided effort to undo energy progress comes at the worst possible time. In a presentation released April 7, ERCOT updated its load growth projections, estimating that demand for power will nearly double by 2030. Fortunately, Texas' diverse generation mix of solar, wind and battery storage — all of which have reached record grid contributions this year — and plentiful natural gas can help. SB 819 now awaits a Senate vote and echoes a similar bill from 2023, dubbed an 'industry killer.' Lawmakers would do well to reject this dangerous proposal again. Passage of SB 819 would effectively end the development of new renewable energy projects in Texas. For large commercial or industrial power consumers utilizing long-term, fixed-price contracts, it would mean operating costs would skyrocket, and additional investments under consideration would fall by the wayside. The biggest losers? Texans. By stifling the development of renewables, SB 819 would bring higher electricity prices, more power shortages, lost economic development and a blow to the most sacred right in Texas: private property rights. And what's next? Will we empower Austin bureaucrats to determine if Texans can raise cattle, grow crops, hunt or drill for oil? No one knows the land better than its owner, and when landowners lose the right to decide their land's future, they are no longer truly landowners. Texas stands on the edge of government overreach. If we allow politicians to target one industry and strip one group of its rights, every Texan should fear for their own. Texans cannot afford — nor should they tolerate — this betrayal of our core values. Judd Messer is the Texas vice president of Advanced Power Alliance, an industry trade association promoting the development of wind, solar and energy storage resources. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Property rights under attack with bill stifling renewables | Opinion
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PUCT hosts electric utilities to discuss emergency operations and extreme weather preparedness
Jan. 30—AUSTIN — The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) hosted a workshop Thursday for electric industry representatives across the state to discuss emergency operations plans and ensure utilities have detailed plans in place for extreme weather and other threats that could impact their electric systems and consumers. "The safety of all Texans is the top priority of the PUCT, so it is crucial that we ensure electric utilities are prepared for any threat and have put the appropriate attention and resources into emergency operations planning," PUCT Executive Director Connie Corona said. "Workshops like this are crucial for utilities to come together, ask questions, and share best practices and PUCT standards." Representatives from electric utilities, power generators, retail electric providers, municipally owned utilities, and electric cooperatives attended the workshop, along with representatives from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Staff from the PUCT's Infrastructure Division led participants through a review of the biennial Weather Emergency Preparedness Report. The report's findings recommend best practices that electric entities should incorporate into their annual Emergency Operations Plan, which they must file with the PUCT annually. The workshop also included an overview of Texas's emergency response operations, a review of the PUCT's Hurricane Beryl Investigation findings related to emergency operations planning, and a panel discussion with industry representatives. An archived recording of the workshop is available here. Additional information on emergency operations plans is available here on the PUCT website.
