Texas

Customization is what we expect from our coffee order, not something we associate with an electricity plan. But like other industries influenced and motivated by the Internet of Things (IoT) age, the energy industry is having a renaissance that is changing customers’ relationship with power. Customers want their electricity to do more than keep the […]

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a conservation appeal as it braces for continued freezing temperatures, “very high” demand, and “unseasonably low wind” early in the morning on Jan. 15, just before the solar ramp-up. The grid operator on Sunday afternoon said it expects “tight grid conditions” as temperatures plunge, driven by […]

In the face of unprecedented weather events driven by climate change, the global electrical utilities sector is grappling with disruptions, and the state of Texas in particular has been significantly impacted in recent years. From the winter storms of February 2021 to challenges posed by heat events in the summer of 2023, Texas has faced […]

Avangrid, the U.S.-based unit of Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, said it has terminated its planned acquisition of New Mexico utility PNM Resources after failing to receive final approval for the $8.3 billion deal from state regulators. Avangrid officials in a statement on Jan. 2 said the group needed to receive approval for the deal from […]

India’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) module maker is moving some of its manufacturing to the U.S. Mumbai-based Waaree Energies on Dec. 21 said it would build its first U.S.-based facility in Brookshire, Texas, near Houston. Waaree, a major equipment supplier for the U.S. solar power sector, on Thursday said the new plant would have an […]

There are a few great reasons that utilities and the energy industry, in general, are looking for the next big thing. Whether that’s in distributed energy generation or demand flexibility to free up existing resources, utilities are challenged more than ever to meet evolving customer needs. While this will prove costly in the short term, […]

A France-based energy group said it has an agreement to buy three natural gas-fired power plants in Texas. The facilities, one near Dallas and two south of Houston, represent about 1.5 GW of generation capacity. TotalEnergies, a multinational company operating in several energy sectors and headquartered in Paris, France, announced the $635 million deal on […]

A Texas utility that expects to bring another 228 MW of natural gas-fired power generation online in December also plans to begin operating an additional four gas-fired units over the next several years, according to regulatory filings. El Paso Electric (EPE), which provides energy to areas in west Texas and southern New Mexico, plans to […]

Petra Nova, one of the world’s only two carbon capture and storage (CCS) retrofits at a commercial power plant, has restarted operations, JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration Corp. announced on Sept. 13. The project, which is designed to remove more than 90% of the carbon dioxide (CO2) from a 240-MW flue gas slipstream from […]

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on Sept. 6 issued an Energy Emergency Alert 2 (EEA 2) after grid conditions quickly deteriorated around sunset (7:30 p.m.) as demand soared and operating power reserves plunged. The grid operator said that the emergency operations were necessary “due to a combination of dropping operating reserves and frequency.” […]

A 200-MW onshore wind farm project is under construction in Texas, an installation that will add to the state’s U.S.-leading renewable energy portfolio. RWE, a German multinational energy provider, on August 31 said the Montgomery Ranch Wind Farm is being built in Foard County. The company said it the project will increase RWE’s installed wind […]

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has spurred investment in carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), a key tool for decarbonization, by significantly increasing the tax credit for permanently sequestering carbon dioxide. However, many states lack comprehensive laws necessary for CCS projects to attract investment. That includes Texas, a global energy capital that boasts high storage potential. Regulatory […]

The American Clean Power Association (ACP) in a new report said installations of energy storage, along with wind and solar power capacity, were at the third-highest level on record in 2022, with more than 25 GW of new clean power installed cross the U.S. But challenges to clean energy deployment remain. The group’s “Clean Power […]

X-energy and Dow will site a proposed four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility at Union Carbide Corp. Seadrift Operations, a sprawling Dow chemical materials manufacturing site in Seadrift, Calhoun County, Texas. The companies on May 11 said the small modular reactor (SMR) project, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration […]

BETHESDA, Md. and GREENWICH, Conn. (May 8, 2023) — Hull Street Energy and Atlas Holdings announced today the signing of a definitive agreement for Hull Street to acquire 100% of the Bastrop Energy Center and Paris Energy Center power plants from Mesquite Generation Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Atlas. Located in Bastrop and Paris, Texas, the facilities provide 855 […]

PORTLAND, Ore. & CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (May 9, 2023) — Apex Clean Energy and Powin LLC (Powin), a global energy storage platform provider, announced two new battery storage projects in Texas. Apex developed and will construct, own, and operate the projects; Powin is providing its Centipede™ Platform and StackOS™ battery management system. Angelo Storage, co-located with […]

Texas officials on May 4 warned that peak demand for electricity could—for the first time—exceed the amount the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) can generate from on-demand dispatchable power, forcing the grid operator to rely on renewables to keep the lights on this summer. During an annual public update ahead of summer 2023, Peter […]

Rayburn Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Rockwall, Texas, announced on April 19 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ownership of the Panda Sherman Power Plant. The Sherman facility is a 758-MW natural gas–fueled combined cycle unit located in Grayson County, about an hour north of Dallas. The plant will be renamed Rayburn […]

The facility is also first-of-its-kind financed with the Investment Tax Credit to provide critically needed dispatchable resource to meet urgent and growing demand for flexibility in Texas power market The technology group Wärtsilä has reached commercial operation date (COD) for two major interconnected energy storage systems in South Texas totaling 200 MW and owned by […]

March 21, 2023 — AVANGRID,  a leading sustainable energy company and part of the Iberdrola Group, has announced the signing of a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Meta to procure renewable energy from True North, a 240 MW solar farm under development in Falls County, Texas, and AVANGRID’s first solar facility in the state. “We […]

Microgrids are localized power grids that can be disconnected from the traditional grid to operate autonomously. Because they are able to operate while the main grid is down, microgrids can strengthen resilience and help prevent grid disturbances. They also function as a reliable resource for faster system response and recovery. Microgrids enable the integration of […]

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), an arm of major U.S. utility Duke Energy, said commercial operation has begun on the group’s largest solar power plant. DESS on March 8 said the 250-MW Pisgah Ridge Solar farm in Navarro County, Texas, is online, supplying power to at least three groups as part of virtual power purchase […]

Texas-based energy company Vistra Corp. is adding to its nuclear power generation capacity. The group on March 6 announced it would buy Ohio-based Energy Harbor Corp. in a $3.4 billion deal that includes ownership of three nuclear power stations. The transaction includes $3 billion in cash, with Energy Harbor shareholders receiving a 15% stake in […]

The Biden administration on Feb. 22 announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dept. of the Interior, through its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), said it would open more than 300,000 acres in the Gulf, an area that long has been a major part of […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA & LONDON, UK (Feb. 7, 2023) – Watershed, the leading enterprise climate platform, today announced it is partnering with renewables marketplace Ever.green to launch the first fixed-price virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA). The long-term commitments of Watershed customers including Samsara, Stripe, and TaskUs will help build a new solar plant in Laredo, […]

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) said it will build a new 190-MW peaker power plant in central Texas to provide additional dispatchable power to the state’s electric grid. A peaker plant is one that is typically used only for brief periods during times when the demand for power approaches or surpasses the amount of […]

The largest municipally-owned electric and gas utility in the U.S. will close its remaining coal-fired power units by 2030. The board of trustees for San Antonio, Texas-based CPS Energy on Jan. 23 voted 4-1 to approve a plan to shutter the last two coal-burning units at the J.K. Spruce power plant. The plan, known as […]

Danish energy developer Ørsted continues to expand its presence in the U.S. market, with the company on Jan. 18 announcing it has signed a deal to acquire Public Service Enterprise Group’s (PSEG’s) 25% stake in the 1.1-GW Ocean Wind 1 project about 15 miles off the coast of New Jersey. The move will give Ørsted […]

Government officials in the small South American country of Guyana have given the go-ahead for construction of a 300-MW natural gas-fired power plant, a facility that would represent a major expansion of the nation’s power generation capacity. Cabinet members on Nov. 10 approved the project, which President Dr. Irfaan Ali has said will help reduce […]

Companies involved in energy production continually look to maximize their investments, and today are tasked with navigating increasingly volatile energy markets. These companies must choose where and how to compete as the world transitions to a low-carbon future. Where are the best opportunities for investment? How important is seeking out positions that reduce exposure to […]