Texas' Coal-Fired Power Fell Sharply in January
The amount of Texas electrical power produced by coal has plunged so far this year, and cheap natural gas appears to be the cause.
A report this week by Potomac Economics, a consulting company that serves as an official monitor for the Texas electricity market, showed that coal-fired electricity production dropped by 30 percent in January compared with January 2011. Nuclear power production also fell, while wind grew by 45 percent and natural gas was up 22 percent.
Figures from just one month offer only a limited snapshot, partly because the weather in different seasons has a big effect on ...
Comments (15)
Gerard Ponce via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We need to keep supporting wind energy in Texas.
Marcus Denton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Wow! Those numbers are stunning.
namoyer
So, coal and nukes not so cheap for resale by retailers. But, will these units be back on line for TX summer electricity demand??? Old generators' trick--keep units offline to goose prices offered. Totally gamed TX market; disadvantages residential retail consumers!
Rudy Gonzales
Texas officials have known for over ten years that new EPA laws were being implemented and would effect Texas's and the nation's air quality. The correct answer is these industries have know about the needed upgrades for over three years or longer and have chosen to play as they have all along. The EPA and Jobs have been called into this argument , but does not pass the smell test. They have threatened "Black outs" or "Rolling Brown-outs", but the fact remains they do not want to abide by the rules. They have had Republican backing for a long time and they feel they have an inside track to get their way at the cost of polluting every one's air. This also points out the incompetence of our so-called leaders in Austin. Natural gas is cheaper and getting cheaper and the Right-winged, confrontational TEA-GOP-Republican Texas Legislature have seen fit to reward their buddy-buddies while costing Texas taxpayers with increased costs and possible "Black outs" or "Rolling Brown-outs". This is inefficiency and ineffectiveness on steroids in Austin. This is what you get with a one party state. This is what you get when confrontational-ist run the state. Sounds like the dictator, Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature have decided to reward their friends at the expense of the Texas population.
Mac Mcclure via Texas Tribune on Facebook
What happens when the wind does not blow? Brown out? Nuclear would be better than wind power.
Merryl Redding via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We don't need no stinkin' federal mandates... we'll move toward cleaner energy because it's the right thing, but it's a process. Forcing the change is just hurting middle class & poor folks, while the "Al Gores" are positioned to make $$MILLIONS$$.
jpt51
Why, (except to return a political favor to the Koch Brothers) did Gov. Perry ever approve 3 additional coal fired plants a few years ago?
Elmo
Can you believe the Mclennan County Commissioners Court gave LS POWER a tax abatement to come here? How stupid that was. Brazos Coop member will now pay huge for this building of a coal plant in higher rates .
Suzanne Hardie Lander via Texas Tribune on Facebook
How well did they take into account that we had a pretty warm January this year?
Wayne Togo
Perhaps one day, ERCOT will post instantaneous and historical: Electrical Generation, Transmission & Distribution numbers on the internet.
Efficiency, Reliability, Cost, Price, Taxes, Subsidies, Financial Stability, and Ride-Through Capability criteria for Base-Line Generators should be open to public scruitiny.
A reasonable delay, (seconds, minutes) for security reasons, is acceptable.
We are NOT amused by 'cherry picked' statistics, such as this story.
Audrey Fisher via Texas Tribune on Facebook
According to Merryl, we can change on our own, eventually and if a few thousand people are overexposed to a little more mercury, then that is the price that just needs to be paid. HUH? Change is coming because cities like SA are moving forward sans RW BS!
Wayne Togo
NRG & TXU are too insolvent to increase capacity, efficiency and emission improvements to their power plants.
Substantial improvements are economically availiable, but these two producers are broke.
Wind Power is an ongoing disaster. It is unreliable, immensely expensive and an environmental outrage.
Wayne Togo
SM,
Agents Provacateurs are typically a lower form of life than actual bigots.
In my humble opinion
Debbie Lee via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I agree!!!
raffaele cafagna
Algae? Is he serious?
Obama told the American people last Thursday that our energy future lies not in opening up our vast untapped oil and gas reserves, but in "investing" in algae as an alternative fuel. Sound familiar?
Remember Obama's plan to "invest" our tax dollars in Solyndra, Beacon Power, Evergreen Solar, etc., etc.? We can no more trust our economy's transportation needs to algae than we could trust government subsidized solar and wind to generate our electricity. Maybe someday we can use this ocean slime , but that's no way to move America out of recession today .
EPA is working on the so-called MACT rule so they can shut down several of the 100 coal plants that produce 57 percent of our nation's energy.They're also raising taxes on oil companies that produce the gasoline that we consume and use to transport goods . And you know the story about the Keystone pipeline. Our government is shutting down mining and energy transportation routes that quickly distribute cheap energy throughout our country. The EPA is able to increase prices on unsuspecting Americans because they do it in the name of protecting the environment.
But We Americans Know the Truth is Far Different.