Texas Senate pushes to add gas power plants, curb growth of renewables - San Antonio Express-News

Texas Senate pushes to add gas power plants, curb wind and solar
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, with other lawmakers, including Charles Schwertner, Donna Campbell, Judith Zafferini, Phil King and Nathan Johnson hold a press conference to discuss Texas energy bills in the works in the senate at the Texas State Capitol, Austin, TX Wednesday March 9, 2023.Nell Carroll/special contributor

State senators are aggressively pursuing a plan to build more natural gas power plants and curb the growth of wind and solar energy in Texas, getting behind a suite of bills that energy experts say will walk back the state’s deregulated electricity market.

The nine-bill package has bipartisan support, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has threatened to force a special session if lawmakers don’t agree to bolster natural gas production this spring. Senators say the federal government offers unfair incentives to wind and solar plants, given how unreliable they can be during extreme weather events, making it tough for non-renewable energy providers to compete.