Wow Texas power grid is really fucked up and I do blame the Republicans

arnoldwsimmons

Rising Star
Platinum Member
Damn! What the fuck is going on w/ Texas' power grid and plants!!!

That weirdo ass governor stays worrying about the wrong shit!
This is what happens when you have your own grid, you have no reliable energy back-up. I worked in a coal fired power plant, and whenever we lost a unit at the plant, or in our system, the loss was automaticatly compensated by being interconnected with other utilities around the country. The other utilities might initially charge anywhere from $1000, to a couple of thousand dollars per megawatt hour, but in the end customers would still have uninterrupted electricity (but unfortunately, customers will pay the price for the inflated electricity price through rate hikes).
 

easy_b

Look into my eyes you are getting sleepy!!!
BGOL Investor
This is what happens when you have your own grid, you have no reliable energy back-up. I worked in a coal fired power plant, and whenever we lost a unit at the plant, or in our system, the loss was automaticatly compensated by being interconnected with other utilities around the country. The other utilities might initially charge anywhere from $1000, to a couple of thousand dollars per megawatt hour, but in the end customers would still have uninterrupted electricity (but unfortunately, customers will pay the price for the inflated electricity price through rate hikes).
It’s only one way to fix this mess and do you have a chance to do it this November if not that’s their ass. Also mother nature is going to remind them this summer or who they need to vote for.
 

0utsyder

Rising Star
BGOL Investor
Plus it is the wrong time of year for the power to be going out!!! Cause not having that A/C and central air on a 100 degree day is for the birds!!!
 
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ViCiouS

Rising Star
BGOL Patreon Investor
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Politic Negro

Rising Star
BGOL Investor
Texans face skyrocketing home energy bills as the state exports more natural gas than ever

The cost of electricity in Texas is tightly tied to the price of natural gas, which has more than doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

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A pumpjack next to a home in Gardendale. Texas is the nation’s top natural gas producer but the state has started exporting more of it to other countries, which contributes to rising utility costs for Texans.

Texans are seeing skyrocketing home electric bills this spring and summer, with many customers paying at least 50% more than they did for electric bills at this time last year.


And nobody seems to know when costs will go down.
“I am worried people are going to be shocked,” said John Ballenger, vice president at Texas retail electric provider Champion Energy. “Realizing this is 50 or 60 or 70% higher than what they had paid before, I’m just not sure it’s real to people yet. If it’s not, it will be very, very soon when the bills hit this summer.”
Here’s what Texans need to know about why utility bills are getting more expensive:







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PAID CONTENT
Must-See Beautiful Homes in Houston
BY: MARTHA TURNER

What’s driving electricity and gas bills higher?
The elevated utility bills have primarily been driven by the price of natural gas, which has shot up more than 200% since late February when Russia, a top gas-producing country, invaded Ukraine and upended the world’s energy market.
Since then, Texas, the leading natural gas-producing state in the U.S., has not been able to keep offering its own residents cheap energy.
Since the war in Ukraine began, Texas has been exporting more natural gas than ever before, sending much of it to Europe as many countries try to wean themselves off Russian gas. Congress lifted a longtime ban on exporting U.S. oil and gas in 2015, which opened world markets to Texas oil and gas producers.
“People are lining up around the world to get our product,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.

But demand for natural gas has also been growing at home as more people and businesses continue to flock to Texas. A hotter-than-normal spring and early summer also have driven demand for power to record-high levels. Most Texas power plants run on natural gas.
“We’ve seen Texas gas go over to Europe, which has then created a supply issue locally in the state of Texas,” said Cory Kuchinsky, chief financial officer and treasurer for CPS Energy, San Antonio’s municipal utility that provides energy to more than 1 million customers. “Our customers feel the real-time impact of changing fuel costs.”
The hike in utility bills comes during difficult financial times for many Texans, who have also been facing high prices at grocery stores and the fuel pump due to growing inflation.

How long will Texans see higher utility bills?
With the war in Ukraine dragging on and upending the world energy market, Texas electricity providers are cautioning customers that the high rates could linger for months or longer.

PAID CONTENT
Must-See Beautiful Homes in Houston
BY: MARTHA TURNER

What’s driving electricity and gas bills higher?
The elevated utility bills have primarily been driven by the price of natural gas, which has shot up more than 200% since late February when Russia, a top gas-producing country, invaded Ukraine and upended the world’s energy market.
Since then, Texas, the leading natural gas-producing state in the U.S., has not been able to keep offering its own residents cheap energy.
Since the war in Ukraine began, Texas has been exporting more natural gas than ever before, sending much of it to Europe as many countries try to wean themselves off Russian gas. Congress lifted a longtime ban on exporting U.S. oil and gas in 2015, which opened world markets to Texas oil and gas producers.
“People are lining up around the world to get our product,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association.

But demand for natural gas has also been growing at home as more people and businesses continue to flock to Texas. A hotter-than-normal spring and early summer also have driven demand for power to record-high levels. Most Texas power plants run on natural gas.
“We’ve seen Texas gas go over to Europe, which has then created a supply issue locally in the state of Texas,” said Cory Kuchinsky, chief financial officer and treasurer for CPS Energy, San Antonio’s municipal utility that provides energy to more than 1 million customers. “Our customers feel the real-time impact of changing fuel costs.”
The hike in utility bills comes during difficult financial times for many Texans, who have also been facing high prices at grocery stores and the fuel pump due to growing inflation.
How long will Texans see higher utility bills?
With the war in Ukraine dragging on and upending the world energy market, Texas electricity providers are cautioning customers that the high rates could linger for months or longer.

The higher prices will, however, benefit some Texans. As a major gas producer, the state typically benefits from high oil and gas prices in the form of jobs and state taxes on oil and gas production. Cities located in the state’s oil fields usually benefit even more.
“I grew up in Odessa in the middle of oil and gas, and there’s always been this inverse relationship,” said Carrie Collier-Brown
lawyer for the Alliance for Retail Markets, a trade group for Texas electric providers. “For folks out there, it’s better for their economy when gas prices are high.”
But despite the spike in demand, the oil and gas industry isn’t seeing major production growth because of a backlog of orders for vital equipment due to supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic, said Garrett Golding, energy economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
“There’s also a shortage of labor across most of the oilfield services,” Golding said, noting that companies are trying to hire aggressively. “But we’ve seen it for several quarters now: It is a struggle to get qualified people into the positions (companies) want right now.”

Is the price of natural gas the only cause?
While they agree the price of natural gas is the primary driver behind Texas utility bills, energy experts say there are other factors at play.
The state’s main power grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, has been managing the grid more cautiously since last February, when millions of people were without power for days in subfreezing temperatures after a combination of cold weather across the state and skyrocketing demand for energy shut down power plants as well as the natural gas facilities that supply them with fuel. Hundreds of people died.

Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake, appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott after the winter storm to lead the agency in charge of ERCOT, has said the grid operator is no longer prioritizing providing Texans cheap power. Instead, Lake said, its main focus is the grid’s reliability, especially during extreme hot or cold weather. But that has a price.
“Conservative operations add costs,” said Cathy Webking, a longtime Texas energy lawyer.

ERCOT’s new approach to operating the grid means asking power plants to be online and available in case they’re needed, and that means paying generators a prescribed price to operate no matter what happens. Before the 2021 winter storm, power plants ramped up or went offline based on market demand.
Golding, with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said Texans are paying for last year’s grid disaster — and will for years. Texas lawmakers last year approved roughly $7 billion in ratepayer-backed bonds to deal with the financial fallout from the storm. Some electricity utilities were strapped with billions in new debt after paying exorbitant prices for electricity set by ERCOT during the storm — the high prices were an incentive for power plants to provide more electricity — and the debt drove some utilities into bankruptcy.
“On everybody’s bill, there are also these surcharges for paying for what happened in 2021,” Golding said.
 

easy_b

Look into my eyes you are getting sleepy!!!
BGOL Investor

If Texas don’t make the right decision this November they are in for one hell of a winter and next year summer season. That independent grid bullshit cannot work in a state like Texas. Also some of these conservatives states are finding out the hard way that climate change don’t give a fuck about your thoughts and feelings.
 

Dr. Truth

GOD to all Women
BGOL Investor
Funny the usual Anti Democrat pack avoids this thread but all flood in about all Democrats or anything left leaning to encourage Blacks not to vote Dem
 

cheyisrameyah

Rising Star
Platinum Member
Im surprised that solar, geothermal or wind isn't a big rally cry for homeowners down there. Seems to be a ready made solution for the rugged individualist types. If they can afford it.
 

Politic Negro

Rising Star
BGOL Investor
Im surprised that solar, geothermal or wind isn't a big rally cry for homeowners down there. Seems to be a ready made solution for the rugged individualist types. If they can afford it.
Conservative Texans act like the GOP are the Dallas Cowboys, no matter how shitty they are they'll always support them while getting swindled.
 
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Politic Negro

Rising Star
BGOL Investor


When Brad Jones was tapped as interim CEO of the nonprofit that runs the state’s power grid following the deadly February 2021 winter storm that left most of Texas without power for days, he said he would help stabilize the grid and get it through the summer. Jones was clear that he wasn’t interested in keeping the job long term.

Now, 15 months after Jones became interim CEO — and more than a month after the June target date when Jones had told colleagues and conference crowds that he wanted to step down — the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ new board of directors still has not selected his successor.

Eight sources from across the power industry who spoke to The Texas Tribune say Gov. Greg Abbott — who has no formal role in the process — has put a stranglehold on the CEO search.

The board of directors, installed by a group of three people who are appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and House speaker, and a contracted search firm have presented CEO candidates to Abbott for final say, according to three sources who spoke to the Tribune on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issues.
The governor has already vetoed Steve Berberich, a Texan who was vice president of Irving-based TXU Energy and later became CEO of California’s power grid operator and who appeared to have strong support from both the power industry and ERCOT’s board of directors, two people familiar with the matter said.
“The only explanation we got was because he came from California,” said a power industry source familiar with the discussions about Berberich. “Obviously California has its share of problems, but you can’t argue with his qualifications.”
Berberich declined to comment for this story.
This level of involvement by the governor in ERCOT’s hiring process — and in its public communications — is extraordinary in the nonprofit’s 52-year history, numerous sources told the Tribune.
“He has total veto power,” one of the sources familiar with the process said of Abbott.

Abbott’s office controls ERCOT’s public statements
By the time Jones took over ERCOT two months after the catastrophe, Abbott’s office had begun dictating what — and whether — information about the power grid was released to the public by ERCOT, an unprecedented move by a Texas governor, according to current and former energy company directors, power grid employees, longtime energy analysts and consultants who spoke to The Texas Tribune.
After the storm, ERCOT’s public messaging quickly dwindled even as public anxiety about the grid’s reliability soared: Jones has held few press conferences — and when he has, they have almost always been alongside his boss, Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake, whom Abbott appointed to replace another leader who left in the post-winter-storm purge.
“The governor is not just reviewing and editing [ERCOT’s public statements]. He’s telling ERCOT whether or not they can release grid information at all,” said a former senior ERCOT employee who spoke candidly about the matter on the condition of anonymity. The source said “it means information is potentially not getting where it needs to go, and that means Texans aren’t hearing what they need to hear.”
At times since the winter freeze, the governor’s office examined press releases and other communications ERCOT had prepared to put out to the public and made changes “if they were uncomfortable with the language,” the former employee said. Before the freeze, the governor’s office was barely involved at all in ERCOT’s public communications, four people familiar with the process said.
ERCOT’s social media posts have also dwindled: In the four months before February 2021, ERCOT posted 41 times on Facebook, a mix of regular grid updates, job postings and statements from its executives about the grid. In the 17 months after, ERCOT has posted only 31 times on Facebook; the same trend has played out on ERCOT’s Twitter account.
“The National Weather Service is on Twitter every day or in the newspaper or on Facebook — there are a thousand ways to reach people where they are,” said Alison Silverstein, a former senior adviser at the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which regulates ERCOT. “The point is to provide so much information that people stop thinking you’re hiding stuff and they stop looking behind every lamp post and stop being suspicious about what you’re not telling them.”
Silverstein, who also used to work for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, said grid operators routinely give U.S. governors’ offices a heads up before they release grid information to the public. But governors don’t usually dictate what information is released, Silverstein and other former Texas grid officials said.
Before the winter freeze, that was the case with ERCOT, too, according to numerous sources familiar with the process: The grid operator typically sent press releases and grid update announcements to the PUC, which typically shared them with the governor’s office, a day or two before release as a heads up, and they were rarely questioned or told to substantially change the content.
Abbott, who is up for reelection in November, has almost entirely avoided discussing the grid publicly this summer, even as Texans have been repeatedly asked to conserve electricity and many have seen their home electric bills skyrocket. Abbott’s opponent, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, has made the grid’s problems a big part of his campaign and has criticized Abbott over his handling of the grid during and after last year’s tragedy.
A spokesperson for Abbott did not answer detailed questions about the governor’s involvement in the grid, but said Texas has taken “unprecedented steps” to protect the state’s power system following the 2021 winter storm — including mandating that power generators and natural gas producers better prepare their facilities for extreme weather.
“Governor Abbott continues working to ensure the substantial bipartisan reforms passed by the House and Senate last year are properly implemented, including greater transparency and accountability at the PUC and ERCOT, so that the grid remains stable and reliable,” the spokesperson said in a written statement. “Under the Governor’s leadership, Texans have seen more communication and proactive responses by the PUC and ERCOT to keep the public better informed of current grid conditions, such as voluntary conservation appeals this summer during record-setting temperatures and demand.”
In response to detailed questions for this story, a spokesperson for ERCOT used the same written statement repeatedly: “ERCOT does not speak for Gov. Abbott on what, if any involvement he’s had.”
The spokesperson added that ERCOT’s public communications are reviewed and approved by the PUC, the state agency that oversees ERCOT.
Abbott appoints the PUC’s board, which was expanded from three to five members after the winter storm, when millions of people were plunged into darkness after extended freezing temperatures shut down natural gas facilities and power plants. Those two major parts of the grid rely on each other to keep electricity flowing. Hundreds of people died during the freeze. All three of Abbott’s appointees resigned from the board shortly after the freeze. The previous ERCOT CEO was fired, and many of its board members resigned.
Beth Garza, who has worked in the Texas energy industry for decades, including as the independent watchdog of ERCOT from 2014-19, said any direct involvement by the governor in ERCOT’s day-to-day operations is concerning because he and his staff are not trained power professionals.
“I don’t think he knows anything about running [a grid operator]. He certainly couldn’t figure out who to pick as [PUC] commissioners the first time around,” Garza said. “Let’s remember: The three in charge [of the PUC] during the catastrophe were all his appointees.”

Who wants to be ERCOT’s next CEO?
The last week of July, ERCOT’s board of directors held an urgent virtual meeting to consider a “sensitive matter,” which they discussed in a private executive session. When the board returned to open session, they said they deliberated on a personnel matter and didn’t vote on anything.
Behind closed doors, the board narrowed its search for a permanent CEO, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Numerous sources said the governor has consistently pushed for Phil Wilson, former secretary of state under Gov. Rick Perry and current chief executive of the Lower Colorado River Authority, a nonprofit public utility based in Austin that provides water and electricity to more than 1 million Texans.
Abbott has turned to Wilson as a crisis manager before. During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abbott named Wilson the acting head of Texas’ massive health and human services agency, which he ran for four months while continuing to lead the river authority.
Last fall, Abbott also appointed Wilson as chair of the State Energy Plan Advisory Committee, a group of mostly energy executives who are expected to lay out a long-term energy plan for the state, which state lawmakers could use to help them draft legislative proposals.
But Wilson doesn’t want the ERCOT CEO job and has privately turned it down multiple times, according to four people familiar with the matter.
When reached by a Tribune reporter seeking comment about his candidacy for the ERCOT job, Wilson said he was in a meeting and couldn’t talk.
Wilson’s apparent reluctance to take the job underscores the biggest challenge for Abbott and the ERCOT board: finding qualified candidates who actually want the job. Garza said the ERCOT job pays well and could be appealing for somebody in the power sector who wants to run an organization that’s critical to the lives of most Texans.
But ERCOT is not a state agency — it’s a nonprofit entity that operates like an air traffic controller and a financial exchange, coordinating with dozens of transmission companies, power providers and generators to manage both the state’s sprawling power supply and the money transferred among different segments of the power system.
The private power sector generally pays top executives more than what ERCOT could offer, and the ERCOT CEO is under a much brighter spotlight than any power company CEO after last year’s disaster sowed widespread public distrust in the state power grid. Jones earns $500,000 annually as interim CEO, according to his contract, obtained by the Tribune through an open records request. That’s $300,000 less than his predecessor, Bill Magness, revealed that he earned during legislative hearings after the 2021 winter storm.
Garza and other sources in the energy industry said candidates also have to weigh whether they’re willing to step into such a politicized position.
“The concern is that once you have an organization that’s sort of kowtowed into believing it needs approval from whoever it needs to come from, that organization is stymied and will wait to take action,” Garza said. “You risk losing some initiative. That’s not what you want from ERCOT. You want ERCOT to be smart, capable folks who take necessary actions when they’re necessary to take.”
 
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