Strained Texas Power Grid Is Poised to Lose a Big Gas Plant

The Texas power grid is poised to lose a big natural gas-fired power plant, potentially straining a system that’s already grappling with an exodus of fossil fuel generation.

CPS Energy plans to “indefinitely suspend operations” of three units of the V.H. Braunig facility totaling 859-megawatts by March 31, 2025, according to a notice posted by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Wednesday. That’s typically enough to supply enough power to about 171,800 homes on the state grid.

The Texas grid has repeatedly seen tight electricity supplies in the past year as extreme weather and surging power demand strain aging infrastructure. Regulators have pushed through incentives to keep existing fossil fuel plants open and to spur investment in new gas plants because of the crunch.

Ercot, as the state grid operator is known, is requesting comments about CPS’s plan by April 3. Per protocol, the grid operator will likely conduct a study to determine whether the closure will create reliability problems — and, if so, may move to keep the units online.

“The retirement of the Braunig units is part of our board approved generation plan,” CPS Energy said in an emailed statement. “These power plants are nearing their operational end of life,” the company said, adding: “We will have collaborative discussions with Ercot during their review process.”

The units shutting down were built more than 50 years ago. The site has four smaller gas units built in 2010 with combined capacity of 244 megawatts.

“Ercot continues a reliability-first approach to grid operations as part of our continued commitment to maintain grid reliability and resiliency,” a spokesperson said in an email.