A plan for Texas to build its own power plants could cost $7 billion more than expected (Texas Tribune)

A plan for Texas to build its own power plants could cost $7 billion more than expected – By Emily Foxhall (Texas Tribune) / Apr 13 2023

The plants would be activated during emergencies. Lawmakers haven’t decided whether to pay for them through state funds or higher charges to electricity customers.

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A plan that the state Senate approved last week to build up to 10 gigawatts of on-demand power could cost about $18 billion to construct natural gas-fueled power plants with fuel stored on-site, according to an estimate from the Lower Colorado River Authority.

The price is well above the $10.8 billion estimate provided during a Senate committee hearing earlier this year by Berkshire Hathaway, which initially pushed the idea of building new gas plants to provide backup power two years ago.

The plan, newly outlined in Senate Bill 6, would direct the state to hire one or several entities such as the river authority to build power plants that could come online during emergencies. The plants would be able to supply 2 million homes during peak demand and could run for days.

CONTINUE > https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/13/texas-power-natural-gas-cost-senate-bill-6/