Critics have concerns about consumer costs and whether lawmakers are focusing on the right things.
Lawmakers championing the bills acknowledge this is a work in progress by making tweaks to some plans, while some say other plans need to be thrown out altogether.A Texas Senate committee hearing Thursday began with a focus on Senate Bill 6.
It calls for the state to support the construction of 10,000 megawatts of power that will only be used in emergencies. "These insurance generators will turn on only when our energy reserves fall below 1,000 MW, to prevent these assets from interfering with our competitive market," said Senate Business and Commerce Committee Chairman Charles Schwertner/.Some in the electric industry testified it will hurt competition.
"Because those are held out of the market, it’s 10,000 MW that consumers are paying for on their bills that are going to sit on the sidelines until we’re in a crisis," said Michele Richmond, with Texas Competitive Power Advocates. "I think the temptation is going to be too great, and at some point in time, to see these generators sitting out there, seeing they aren’t operating, and it’s going to be very tempting to pull them into the market," said Clif Lange, with South Texas Electric Cooperative.
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