Austin American-Statesman: Bee Cave City Council votes to delay raise in gas rates
Austin American-Statesman: Bee Cave City Council votes to delay raise in gas ratesJuly 27 — Texas Gas Service filed an application on June 3 with the Texas Railroad Commission, which handles the state’s oil and gas municipalities, to raise its rates. The application asks to raise rates for all individually operated areas, including Bee Cave, in its Central-Gulf service area.
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ABC Houston: Texas’ power grid is ready to handle the hot summer months, ERCOT CEO says
July 27 — As July approaches, ABC13 met with the head of the state’s power grid. We asked how he believes the grid will handle the next few months. “I am confident that the grid is ready to withstand a hot summer ahead of us,” ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said.
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Associated Press: Texas electricity demand could nearly double in six years, grid operator predicts
June 20 — The state’s main electric grid operator has sharply increased its prediction for how much power demand will increase in coming years. If it’s accurate, the state would need to be able to provide nearly double the amount of power within six years.
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NPR: Texas power grid is challenged by electricity-loving computer data centers
Jne 21 — Experts warn the Texas power grid faces new strains from growing tech-sector data centers that are consuming ever more electricity for crypto-mining and artificial intelligence.
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Texas Tribune: Texas electricity demand could nearly double in six years, grid operator predicts
Texas Tribune: Texas electricity demand could nearly double in six years, grid operator predictsJune 20 — The prediction by ERCOT reflects a new way of counting future demand and a spike in requests to connect to the grid from large power users.
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NBC DFW: ERCOT prepares to revamp power-demand plan ahead of hot summer months
June 18 — ERCOT leaders plan to revamp their emergency plans for when they need energy quickly during the hot summer months ahead. At an ERCOT board meeting Tuesday morning, the CEO of the state’s largest power grid said the company’s “demand response” plan to add more power to the grid during stressful times was being overhauled.
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WFAA: Good news for Texas power grid in ERCOT’s summer outlook
WFAA: Good news for Texas power grid in ERCOT’s summer outlookJune 18 — Regulators say Texas is less likely to experience an energy emergency this summer than it was last summer. Thank the weather and renewable energy resources.
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Austin Chronicle: ERCOT Says Texas Power Demand to Double by 2030, With Bitcoin to Blame
Austin Chronicle: ERCOT Says Texas Power Demand to Double by 2030, With Bitcoin to BlameJune 18 — Current demand hovers around 85 gigawatts, but it is projected to increase to 150 GW in the next half of the decade. Who’s gobbling all these gigawatts? Bitcoin, it turns out. More than 50% of that new demand is expected to come from the increasing number of crypto mining operations and data centers in the Permian Basin. Crypto mining is the process by which transactions are entered on the blockchain, and it also puts new bitcoins into circulation.
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E&E News: Court finds Texas was right to max out electricity prices
E&E News: Court finds Texas was right to max out electricity pricesJune 17 — The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that state regulators were correct to raise the price of electricity to its maximum level during a 2021 winter storm, rejecting a challenge from a power generator that said it lost more than a billion dollars in the freeze.
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Forbes (Commentary): $38.9 Billion In Proposed Texas Gas Plants Overwhelm Expectations
Forbes (Commentary): $38.9 Billion In Proposed Texas Gas Plants Overwhelm ExpectationsJune 11 — The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) said last week that power developers in the state submitted 125 formal applications under the Texas Energy Fund (TEF) for the development of almost 56 gigawatts of new natural gas power generation in the coming years. Deadline for applications was Friday, June 7, for companies, co-ops and municipalities to apply for low interest financing and grants available under the fund.
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Texas Tribune: Water is bursting from another abandoned West Texas oil well, continuing a troubling trend
June 11 — Pecos County rancher Schuyler Wight says the Railroad Commission continues to plug wells. But each time they do, another one starts flowing.
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