News Round-Up: December 2025

Newsweek: Texas Candidate Files as Republican After Raising Money Off Democrats

Dec. 10 — A Texas politician has come under scrutiny for filing as a Republican after raising money from Democrats.

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-candidate-files-republican-raising-money-democrats-11188015

Inside Climate News: ERCOT’s Market is Transitioning Toward Storage and Solar

Dec. 10 — Battery storage facilities and solar farms powered virtually all capacity growth in Texas’ electric grid throughout 2025, as the home of the nation’s oil and gas industry created almost twice as much new solar power as California.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/10122025/texas-electric-grid-transitioning-to-battery-storage-solar/

KHOU 11: ERCOT weighs how growing data center industry could impact Texas power grid

Dec. 9 — ERCOT is speaking up about the growth in data centers across the state. They said they’re seeing applications for the large load centers come in at record rates.

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/ercot-texas-data-centers-power-grid-impact/285-561a7c06-6bc8-482a-a46a-8a3acb0e3fcb

CBS Austin: ERCOT approves $9 billion project to meet Texas electricity demands

Dec. 9 — The board of directors has greenlit the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan, which aims to enhance reliability and improve the efficiency of power distribution across the state. The plan involves the construction of 765-kilovolt transmission lines, described as a “superhighway” for electricity, to facilitate power movement throughout Texas.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/ercot-approves-9-billion-project-to-meet-texas-electricity-demands

Reuters: Texas makes clean power breakthrough as solar output overtakes coal

Dec. 9 — For the first time, Texas’ main power system looks set to generate more power from solar farms than coal plants during a calendar year in 2025, marking a key new energy transition milestone for the largest power network in the U.S.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/texas-makes-clean-power-breakthrough-solar-output-overtakes-coal-2025-12-09/

KTRH: Katy battery plant decision delayed; ERCOT says city’s denial affects grid authority

Dec. 8 — The project, rejected by Katy City Council after months of homeowner opposition, is now tied up in a regulatory battle before the Public Utility Commission. Ochoa Energy Storage LLC, the developer, is asking the PUC to overturn the city’s denial and declare its zoning decisions invalid.

https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/12/08/katy-battery-plant-decision-delayed-ercot-says-citys-denial-affects-grid-authority/

Utility Dive: With antitrust settlement, Constellation set to become largest US wholesale power provider

Dec. 8 — Constellation Energy has agreed to sell six power plants and a minority stake in a seventh power plant to settle an antitrust complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice and the state of Texas, clearing the way for the company’s $26.6 billion deal to buy Calpine, the parties said Friday.

https://www.utilitydive.com/news/antitrust-constellation-calpine-ferc-ercot-pjm/807252/

KHOU 11: How data centers could impact Texas’ power grid this winter

Dec. 7 — KHOU 11 energy expert Ed Hirs says ERCOT’s winter outlook has improved significantly compared to previous years.

https://www.khou.com/video/news/local/texas/how-data-centers-could-impact-texas-power-grid-this-winter/285-009263aa-904e-44d7-940a-a2f3975fa53d

ERCOT News Release: ERCOT Goes Live with Real-Time Co-optimization Plus Batteries

Dec. 5 — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (ERCOT) today announced the successful implementation of the first operating day of Real-Time Co-optimization Plus Batteries (RTC+B) in the ERCOT market.

https://www.ercot.com/news/release/12052025-ercot-goes-live

KTSM: El Paso mayor urges Texas Railroad Commission to reconsider Texas Gas Service’s proposed rate hike

Dec. 4 — El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson is urging the Texas Railroad Commission (TRC) to reconsider and reduce the proposed rate increase by the Texas Gas Service, as it would “disproportionately” impact El Paso families, he wrote in an official letter on Thursday, Dec. 4.

https://www.ktsm.com/news/el-paso-mayor-urges-texas-railroad-commission-to-reconsider-texas-gar-services-proposed-rate-hike/

Austin American-Statesman: Winter is here, the most perilous period for the Texas electric grid. It’s struggling to keep up.

Dec. 4 — ERCOT has bolstered the grid, but the nonprofit system operator will struggle to keep up with outside forces. Texas may be adding new generation faster than any other state, but electricity demand is growing even faster.