New Electrical Power Plant for Texas Part 1 of 2

By Joe Gokaho 2009.09.30 D3

My utility company is a non-profit – city owned. Currently the electric rate is about 25%-30% cheaper than the neighboring cities with privately owned providers (for profit). I have come to enjoy having dry and cool air conditioned rooms during the long and hot Texas summers. One last thing on my mind would be that spike in electricity bill in the summer time.

The population growth for the State of Texas is faster than rest of the country, the long and hot summer seasons, and ever larger new home constructions also play a great demand on electrical power generation requirement on all Texas utility providers.
City of Houston (once called Houston Light and Power), asks residence to participate a rolling black out program –in hope to cut down power consumption enough to avoid either brown out scenario or building new power generating plants. Other cities also have tried that idea. I bet in a few years, new power plants have to come online, somewhere on the grid to fill in increasing demands. The “green movement” and newly yet to be approved carbon tax – once can only image the great financial burden imposed on Texan in a few short years.

City of San Antonio is the process proposing, building new nuclear power plants. The new facility will be an expanding of existing South Texas Nuclear Power Plant. The price tag is steep, it projects to raise the electric rate by significant amount, but yet it’s still far less than the market rate in the nearby cities like Dallas, Austin and Houston. One would argue, why not spending the money now on the project, when the project is complete, city of San Antonio will be able to enjoy the same electric rate, where other cities (for profit providers) will continue to pay even higher rate, and buying extra power from the open market.

Strong opposition came out , against the nuclear power plant. Everyone says – we should go green, think of solar, wind. The opponents argue, even though the current technology is high, but the cost of these green technology are go down, it’s better for our children and environment.

I hate to use the line from Clinton era, "It's economy, stupid". If we spend money on the green technology without the heavy government subsidy, everyone will shocked to find how expensive it is to go green now, or just in the next decade.