Following the 2021 winter storm Uri, the PUCT has begun planning the redesign of the Texas electric utility market to increase grid resilience. However, in contrast to the suggestions and requests of local governments, the PUCT has failed to create adequate opportunity for community engagement in their planning process. Their plans also unjustly and illogically punish renewable energy sources, subsidize "dispatchable energy" (which mostly translates to gas, coal, and nuclear), and lack sufficient emphasis on energy efficiency and demand response. Environmental activists and consumer advocates alike warn that this plan could have long-term consequences that may cause significant increases in energy prices, hurting ratepayers, while also hindering the state's transition to renewable energy.
Cite as
Anonymous, "Texas utility regulators approve plan aimed at boosting power grid's reliability over time", contributed by James Adams, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 5 January 2022, accessed 26 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/texas-utility-regulators-approve-plan-aimed-boosting-power-grids-reliability-over-time
Critical Commentary
Following the 2021 winter storm Uri, the PUCT has begun planning the redesign of the Texas electric utility market to increase grid resilience. However, in contrast to the suggestions and requests of local governments, the PUCT has failed to create adequate opportunity for community engagement in their planning process. Their plans also unjustly and illogically punish renewable energy sources, subsidize "dispatchable energy" (which mostly translates to gas, coal, and nuclear), and lack sufficient emphasis on energy efficiency and demand response. Environmental activists and consumer advocates alike warn that this plan could have long-term consequences that may cause significant increases in energy prices, hurting ratepayers, while also hindering the state's transition to renewable energy.