Posted on 08/20/2023 12:03:25 PM PDT by george76
Vogtle units 1 and 2 were started in the late 70s, and have been on line for many years.
Units 3 and 4 started construction much more recently, with unit 3 reaching commercial operation a month or two ago, and unit 4 soon to reach the same status.
Before that, the most recent nuclear generating unit to be added to the nation’s fleet was TVA’s Watts Bar unit 2, which had been started decades ago, and its construction halted for decades. It’s basically the completion of an 80s era nuclear plant, but is fully functional and a sister unit to Watts Bar unit 1.
Sorry buddy, a 6,000% increase in supply costs is proof the supply portfolio sucks.
De-regulation really isn’t deregulation. While they deregulated the markets, stiff regulations have prevented alternative suppliers from opening up plants across Texas, resulting in huge price swings when demand approaches available supply.
The power industry was first de-regulated in the 1990s, forcing (regulating) companies to share their wires with competitors. The net result, prior to the blackout of 2003, is that companies would no longer build any bulk transmission because they didn’t want THEIR customers to pay for someone else’s benefit. I mean, who would build a power line through, say, Indianapolis, if it didn’t benefit Indianapolis?
The deregulation plan in Texas would only work is the ability to supply power was also deregulated. But the problem with that is that if you can’t see a very likely return on your investment, why would you build a plant in Texas?
ERCOT does have several small DC ties to both the eastern and western interconnections, but they aren’t of very large capacity. And surrounding areas have their own supply problems and thus aren’t enthusiastic to build additional ties to Texas if they don’t provide any benefit to themselves.
A good portion of the Texas Panhandle is not served by ERCOT - it's in the Eastern Interconnection, directly tied up into Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and beyond. Anything generated there has but a small transmission path to the ERCOT area, which is the bulk of Texas.
If someone built wind farms in that area with the expectation of selling power to, say, Houston, they weren't thinking things through. They should have also built transmission paths to where the customers are also.
BTW, this is not an issue isolated to Texas - in general, wind farms are located away from the load centers, and thus rely on an ever-increasing amount of power transmission lines to get their power to the customers. Federal regulators are pushing to build more wire, but state regulators are putting on the brakes - I mean, why would a state that is not the recipient of the generation from wind mills, say, to their west, be receptive to building major transmission lines across their states that only serve to benefit power users to their east?
Personally, unless I could make some money from it, I would not want a large transmission line going across my property or my state that didn't benefit me. My land, go around it. Or maybe build the plant where the customers are, like they used to do in the old days.
https://www.rrc.state.tx.us/about-us/commissioners/christi-craddick/
https://www.rrc.state.tx.us/About-Us/Commissioners/Wayne-Christian/
https://www.rrc.state.tx.us/about-us/commissioners/jim-wright/
The major Texas Electric Utilities
https://www.saveonenergy.com/resources/largest-electric-utility-in-texas/
“Your utility company is important no matter where you live – it is often in charge of supplying electricity to your home. But in deregulated states such as Texas, the electric utilities have a slightly different job. About 85 percent of the Texas energy market is deregulated, which means consumers can choose their energy provider from a lot of different options.
In Texas, retail electricity providers (REPs) oversee generating or buying electricity. But utility companies transport that electricity to your home, maintain infrastructure, and restore power during an outage.
So, what are the largest electric utility companies in Texas? There are four main electric utilities that currently operate in deregulated areas of the Lone Star State. Read on for an overview of each one.”
Since 85% of the energy supply is deregulated, it is up to the consumers to purchase their supplies from a supplier. Consumer, you better know what you for what you are contracting.”
If I were a consumer in Texas, my first question would be, “What percentage of your supply is renewable?” If the answer is more than 3%, shop else where.
Since 85% of the energy supply is deregulated,Therein lies the farce of deregulation.
At the quoted increase, that would be $4.75 per KWH. It would depend on how much you used at the peak rate, but I’d expect a $100 power bill to be running into many hundreds of dollars.
Could be. I’m not up on the topic as much as I probably
should be, being curious about these sorts of things.
Abbott and the Republicans need to know that the first rolling ERCOT blackout will signal the beginning of an unending mockery, ridicule, and demand for their resignation. They’ve had their six.
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