Texas Senate Committee Mulls Drought Impact on Power Supply

AUSTIN (AP) – A Texas Senate committee is examining how current and future drought conditions might hurt the state’s capacity to generate electricity and could leave some areas without enough power. The Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee on has begun to analyze response plans and identify parts of Texas that may be affected by a lack of power production capacity. A member of the committee is Senator Kevin Eltife of Tyler.

Planners are rushing to approve coal-fired power plants, expand nuclear facilities, create more wind power, build transmission lines and extract natural gas to meet the rising demands of the state’s growing population. Vast amounts of water, however, are often necessary to generate electricity. The worst single-year drought in Texas history has made water scarce, prompting residents in some parts of the state to oppose new projects and even take utilities to court.

Trip Doggett, president of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, told senators that the drought probably won’t cause significant shortfalls through the end of this year but could have severe impacts on energy production if it lasts into 2013.