Panel Discussion: Renewables & Storage to Meet RA: Separating Politics from the Policies
The Texas clean energy market continues to operate amid significant political and regulatory uncertainty, as the OB3 cut key tax incentives and introduced new requirements, and past state legislative sessions included many measures perceived as anti-renewables. The 90th is shaping up to be just as difficult: Policymakers are expected to prioritize grid reliability and rising consumer prices by promoting dispatchable generation (i.e. gas plants) while costs, timelines, and equipment procurement make relying on new gas generation not a realistic option to meet load growth or lower power prices today. These dynamics influence investor sentiment, raising questions about how the industry can mitigate political risk. This session will bring together policy experts to discuss evolving political dynamics, priorities, and pathways to ensure Texas remains the top state for future clean energy development.
- Texas is a pro-business state: How can the industry communicate the reality of load growth vs. generation timelines? What about political risks for investors: Are legislators aware of potential lost business and tax revenue? ERCOT vs MISO/SPP?
- Federal/state/local/regional: Where do policies support each other and where are they misaligned? How can the industry combat misinformation on each level? SB 2627’s $5.4B Texas Energy Fund (TEF): What’s moving forward, and is it affecting outlooks?
- Looking to the 90th: What state legislation is poised to make a big impact, where is the industry in lobbying state leaders, and can O&G become an ally?
- Do well-capitalized developers need lobbying arms, or are state clean energy and storage organizations and associations capable of taking this on? Any volunteers?
- Rubber meet road: TX needs every electron to meet new load and keep the economy flowing, so will it happen and can the grid support it? SB 6: Now that it has passed, what’s changed? Are updated load growth expectations translating into better policy?
- Is there a ‘too much load growth’ tipping point? What did the new reliability standard change? What about Texas Backup Power Program’s (TBPP) $1.8B?
