PV Magazine: Battery energy storage revenues for ancillary services fall nearly 90% in ERCOT
Nov 25 — Revenues for ancillary services have fallen 90% since 2023. An Enverus report says market saturation is driving operators to seek other strategies.
https://www.ess-news.com/2025/
E&E News: Republican split widens as Texas regulator bashes CCS
Nov. 24 — A growing number of GOP elected officials question the use of carbon capture and storage for oil and gas projects.
https://www.eenews.net/
Inside Climate News: A Rare Recusal by Texas Oil and Gas Regulator Up for Re-election
Nov. 24 — Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright removed himself from a vote last week on an oilfield waste company with which he has financial ties. The move highlighted the close relationship between state officials and the industry they regulate.
https://insideclimatenews.org/
KLTV: Legal battle surrounds efforts to build a massive AI data center in Sulphur Springs
Nov. 24 — he Texas Attorney General’s Office has joined a legal battle surrounding a new Data Center in Sulphur Springs. The City is suing the former landowner, Vistra Companies and Luminant Mining, while they counter-sue. The Land was once a mine.
https://www.kltv.com/2025/11/
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter: Texas Demand Growth Highest in the US, Reading & Podcast Picks, November 23, 2025
Nov. 23 — Texas demand expected to rise even more than PJM on data center and broader industrial demand; permitting reform bill advances; NERC issues winter reliability assessment; and much more
https://www.douglewin.com/p/
El Paso Matters: As rate increases loom, El Paso households could see utility bills jump $45 a month in early 2026
Nov. 23 — Monthly utility bills for the average El Paso household could go up by about $45 a month – or 18% – in early 2026 as the electric, gas and water utilities that serve the city are seeking rate increases.
https://elpasomatters.org/
The Center Square: Another natural gas plant being built in Houston area
Nov. 23 — NRG Energy Inc. is building another natural gas power plant in the Houston area, this time a 455 megawatt (MW) plant at its existing Greens Bayou Generating Station in Harris County.
https://www.thecentersquare.
American Public Power Association: Texas Governor Announces Texas Energy Fund Loan To 455 MW Natural Gas Power Plant
Nov. 21 — Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Nov. 20 announced the sixth Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) loan agreement for a 455 megawatt (MW) natural gas power plant in the Houston area. NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) will build the plant, which is expected to begin generating power for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) power region in 2028.
https://www.publicpower.org/
PV Magazine: Battery energy storage revenues for ancillary services fall nearly 90% in ERCOT
Nov. 21 — Revenues for ancillary services have fallen 90% since 2023. An Enverus report says market saturation is driving operators to seek other strategies.
https://pv-magazine-usa.com/
Law360: How New Law Transforms Large-Load Power Projects In Texas
Nov. 20 — The Public Utility Commission of Texas is undertaking rulemakings to implement S.B. 6, which materially revises the regulatory framework for large electrical loads and related behind-the-meter projects in response to rapid growth in interconnection demand across Texas.
https://www.sidley.com/-/
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Abandoned TXU power plant at Panther Island attracts dozens of potential buyers
Nov. 20 — Tarrant County College says at least 47 potential buyers have shown interest in the abandoned TXU power plant that the school owns on the north bank of the Trinity River by downtown.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/
Utility Dive: Texas is winning the energy war by ignoring the politics
Nov. 20 — The Lone Star State is demonstrating an affordable and reliable path to achieving American energy resilience that prioritizes practicality over ideology, writes Amperon CEO Sean Kelly.
https://www.utilitydive.com/
Texas Energy and Power Newsletter: How AI Data Centers Can Go From Villain to Hero with Varun Sivaram
Nov. 19 — Two grid paths for AI data centers: drive bills higher and add stress to the grid, or reduce costs and outage risks by becoming flexible grid assets and catalyzing additional flexibility.
https://www.douglewin.com/p/
KTSM: El Paso rejects Texas Gas Service’s proposed rate hike
Nov. 17 — The El Paso City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to reject Texas Gas Service’s proposed 27% rate increase. El Paso city leaders met Monday to determine their next steps on a proposed residential gas rate increase that could have affected local customers.
https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-
Houston Business Journal: Here’s where major oil and gas pipelines are being built in Greater Houston (MAP)
Nov. 17 — Houston-area pipeline announcements have been booming lately, with some projects costing more than $1 billion. Here’s a breakdown of what’s being built, where these pipelines are going, and which companies are behind them.
https://www.bizjournals.com/
KVIA: City denies Texas Gas Service’s proposed 27% rate increase
Nov. 17 — El Paso City Council voted today to deny Texas Gas Service’s proposed 27% rate increase. This follows public hearings in which residents heard from both gas service and city staff on the proposed rate increase.
https://kvia.com/news/el-paso/
Houston Business Journal: CenterPoint Energy gets approval for grid resiliency plan paid in part by customer bill increase
Nov. 17 — CenterPoint says its $2.9 billion plan aims to build the most resilient coastal grid in the country. Customers will begin footing the bill next year.
https://www.bizjournals.com/
KRPC: Customers face higher electric bills again with new CenterPoint plan approval
Nov. 17 — State regulators approved CenterPoint Energy’s $2.9 billion resiliency plan. For customers, this also means bill changes. CenterPoint Energy will increase electric rates by about $1 a month starting next year.
https://www.click2houston.com/
Associated Press: Future Data Centers are Driving Up Forecasts for Energy; States Want Proof They’ll Be Built
Nov. 16 — The forecasts are eye-popping: utilities saying they’ll need two or three times more electricity within a few years to power massive new data centers that are feeding a fast-growing AI economy.
https://broadbandbreakfast.
KHOU: CenterPoint Energy gets approval for grid resiliency plan paid in part by customer bill increase
Nov. 15 — On Friday, the Texas Public Utility Commission approved CenterPoint’s $2.9 billion Systemwide Resiliency Plan, which will be paid for by customers starting next year. The utility says the investment will significantly improve grid reliability after recent storms exposed major vulnerabilities.
https://www.khou.com/article/
American Public Power Association: Texas Grid Operator Partners with Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station to Research Large Loads
Nov. 14 — The Electric Reliability Council of Texas recently announced that it is partnering with the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) to develop detailed generic dynamic models of large loads — such as data centers, crypto, and electrolyzers — and how these loads change their power output during and after a period of grid disturbances (e.g., faults and other power quality events).
https://www.publicpower.org/
Houston Chronicle: Texas regulators approve CenterPoint’s $2.9B plan to harden Houston power grid
Nov. 14 — State regulators have approved CenterPoint Energy’s request to bill ratepayers approximately $2.9 billion to strengthen its Houston-area power grid against hurricanes and extreme weather.
https://finance.yahoo.com/
American Public Power Association: PUCT Executes Agreement for First Texas Energy Fund Completion Bonus Grant with LCRA
Nov. 14 — The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Nov. 10 entered into the first agreement under the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF) Completion Bonus Grant Program with the Lower Colorado River Authority for its 188-megawatt power plant in Caldwell County.
https://www.publicpower.org/
Houston Public Media: Texas oil and gas regulators win new power to approve projects that shoot carbon underground
Nov. 14 — The approval comes after a two-year federal review of the Railroad Commission of Texas, the agency regulating oil and gas. The agency needed to prove it could enforce federal rules, a requirement that supporters of the effort said it could do better than the EPA. Critics have said that state regulators have a history of being too lax on the oil and gas industry.
https://www.
The Texas Energy and Power Newsletter: An Expensive and Unnecessary Capacity Market
Nov. 13 — The PUC will discuss a new ERCOT proposal, called DRRS Plus, to establish a capacity market. There are far less expensive and more effective solutions available to the PUC and ERCOT.
https://www.douglewin.com/p/
Jacobin: In Utilities, a Culture of Graft Costs Consumers Billions
The cozy relationship between utilities regulators and the firms they are meant to regulate greatly benefits a few bureaucrats turned executives. It’s been a disaster for consumers, who see nothing from it but bigger bills.
https://jacobin.com/2025/11/
Midland Reporter-Telegram: Railroad Commission to host virtual listening session
Nov. 11 — The Railroad Commission is launching a series of virtual listening sessions with the first scheduled for November 12.
https://www.mrt.com/business/oil/article/railroad-commission-virtual-session-21147309.php
KFOX 11: El Paso residents voice concerns over proposed Texas Gas rate hike at community meetings
Nov. 11 — Residents of El Paso are expressing their dissatisfaction with a proposed rate increase by Texas Gas Service, which could result in customers facing about a 27% hike, adding $10 to $15 to their monthly bills.
https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/el-paso-residents-voice-concerns-over-proposed-texas-gas-rate-hike-at-community-meetings
CBS Austin: Austin Energy adds 18.8 megawatts of local solar
Nov. 10 — The utility service took on 749 new solar projects across the city, including 690 residential systems and 59 commercial installations. Austin Energy now supports 188 megawatts of total local solar capacity, putting it within 17 megawatts of reaching its 2027 goal of 205 megawatts of active local solar capacity.
https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-energy-adds-188-megawatts-of-local-solar
Latitude Media: How the data center boom brought down the Texas Energy Fund
Nov. 10 — In the spring of 2023, the Texas Energy Fund seemed poised to deliver on its mission of jump-starting the construction of new fossil gas power plants. As the state’s answer to blackouts during Winter Storm Uri a few years prior, legislators funneled up to $9 billion via low-interest loans and grants, in a move supporters said was necessary to improve grid reliability and meet growing demand.
https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/how-the-data-center-boom-brought-down-the-texas-energy-fund/
Texas Energy & Power Newsletter: Texas Key to US Competition with China
Nov. 9 — The cost of electricity is a highly salient political issue now. Tyler Norris has some ideas for how to bend the curve and, as usual, there’s a Texas angle.
https://www.douglewin.com/p/energy-affordability-takes-center
El Paso Times: El Paso urges residents to attend meetings, speak out on proposed gas rate hike
Nov. 9 — The El Paso City Council has called on the Texas Gas Service to host a series of community meetings to meet with residents to discuss its plans for a 27% rate increase, which the company said it filed to recover costs related to increases in service expenses over the last three years since the last rate increase.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/local/2025/11/09/el-paso-schedules-meetings-on-proposed-gas-rate-increase/87123298007/
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: The historic TXU power plant on Fort Worth’s future Panther Island is for sale
Nov. 8 — Tarrant County College is looking for buyers for the abandoned TXU power plant property along the Trinity River near downtown Fort Worth, on what will be the future Panther Island development.
https://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/fort-worth/article312763559.html
Simply Wall Street: Is CenterPoint Energy’s (CNP) $53 Billion Investment Plan Changing Its Long-Term Growth Outlook?
Nov. 7 — Earlier this week, CenterPoint Energy announced a plan to invest US$53 billion over the next 10 years to expand its operations in response to rising electricity demand fueled by commercial growth.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/centerpoint-energys-cnp-53-billion-131626455.html
Real Clear Energy: The Texas Energy Experiment
Nov. 7 — It is not as well known that Texas also leads the U.S. in electricity production using renewables. In the first half of 2025, Texas led the nation in renewable energy production, 181,000 GWh. California was second with 85,000 MWh.
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2025/11/07/the_texas_energy_experiment_1146123.html
Utility Dive: Southwest Power Pool to develop 765-kV regional transmission ‘backbone’
Nov. 7 — Key to the 2025 Integrated Transmission Plan is development of a 765-kV regional transmission “backbone” that can carry four times the power SPP’s existing 345-kV lines do, and do so more efficiently. The grid operator’s transmission system “is at capacity and forecasted load growth will only exacerbate the existing strain,” it said. “Simply adding new generation will not resolve the challenges.”
https://www.utilitydive.com/news/spp-to-develop-765-kv-regional-backbone/804981/
El Paso Matters: Texas Gas Service customers in El Paso face 27% rate increases under proposal
Nov. 6 — Railroad Commission staff – who recommend decisions to the RRC’s three elected commissioners – supported the consolidation. If approved, household gas rates would decline significantly for customers in other parts of south Texas while increasing for El Paso households.
https://elpasomatters.org/2025/11/06/el-paso-texas-gas-service-27-percent-rate-increase-community-meetings/
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND BROADBAND NEWS
Texas Tribune: Texas is getting far less in federal money for broadband expansion than expected
Nov. 24 — Rural leaders who have worked years to improve broadband access said they were disappointed by the sharp decrease in federal dollars.
https://www.texastribune.org/
Sen. Ted Cruz Press Release: OVER $1.2 BILLION IN BEAD FUNDING TO TEXAS WILL BOOST CONNECTION
Nov. 21 — The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced the approval of Texas’ proposal to use over $1.2 billion of funding to deliver universal high-speed internet access through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program.
https://www.cruz.senate.gov/
Broadband Breakfast: Coalition Forum Spotlights Economic Potential of LEO Broadband
Nov. 17 —The Connect Everyone Coalition, a national advocacy group promoting technology-neutral broadband policy, held a forum Monday on how low Earth orbit satellite networks are shaping economic development and expanding connectivity in rural communities.
https://broadbandbreakfast.
Broadband Breakfast: Cities Oppose FCC Inquiry into Speeding Wireline Permitting
Nov. 17 —An inquiry into how to accelerate wireline broadband deployments from the Federal Communications Commission has drawn sharply diverging responses from cities, electric cooperatives, and broadband industry groups.
https://broadbandbreakfast.
Fierce Network: The challenge LEO technology faces in the digital divide
Nov. 14 —When thinking about low earth orbit (LEO) satellite’s role in the broadband landscape, regulators must remember all technologies are merely “means, not ends” to solve the digital divide, said former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn.
https://www.fierce-network.
Fierce Network: Power limits are now a key hurdle for LEO growth
Nov, 13 —As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers how to update its satellite spectrum sharing rules, it’s also thinking about revamping its Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) limits so that LEO providers can boost their satellite power levels – and in turn up their capacity.
https://www.fierce-network.
Pots & Pans: Misaligned Priorities
Nov. 13 —At the same time that we are prioritizing AI and moving everything online, we seem to be deprioritizing broadband. NTIA cut the BEAD program funding in half to save money, at the expense of building new networks that would provide solid infrastructure for the next fifty years. The Administration outright killed the Digital Equity Act, which had the goal of getting computers into people’s hands and training them how to use them.
https://potsandpansbyccg.com/
Government & Technology: What’s New in Digital Equity: Congress-Approved Funding Frozen
Nov. 13 —The Network Equipment Transparency Act passed in the U.S. Senate, San Francisco is expanding its free Wi-Fi network, Alabama has made progress on the construction of its middle-mile network, and more.
https://www.govtech.com/
US states could lose $21 billion of broadband grants after Trump overhaul
Nov. 11 — Senate Republican has drafted legislation that would effectively cut a $42 billion broadband deployment program in half.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/us-states-could-lose-21-billion-of-broadband-grants-after-trump-overhaul/
Pluribus News: States await approval for billions in broadband funds
Nov. 10 — States anxious to expand high-speed internet to hard-to-reach areas are awaiting the green light from the Trump administration to spend billions in federal broadband dollars, after changes to the program triggered a chain reaction of tensions and uncertainties.
https://pluribusnews.com/news-and-events/states-await-approval-for-billions-in-broadband-funds/
Benton Institute: Statement on NTIA’s Withholding of Broadband Funds
Nov. 10 — Congress allocated Wisconsin $1.2 billion to improve broadband connection across our state. It was our share of the largest telecommunications investment in US history. Internet connection is required to access government forms, healthcare documents, and even homework, and it is the government’s responsibility to connect households that wouldn’t otherwise be served.
https://www.benton.org/headlines/statement-ntia’s-withholding-broadband-funds
Texas Public Radio: Canceled Digital Equity Act grants disrupt projects aimed at getting underserved people online
Nov. 9 — The $2.75 billion program was part of the 2021 infrastructure law and was meant to train people with limited online skills to do things like apply for a job online or use a health care portal. But President Trump labeled the program “racist,” and canceled grants that had already been awarded to state governments and nonprofit group.
https://www.tpr.org/technology-entrepreneurship/2025-11-09/canceled-digital-equity-act-grants-disrupt-projects-aimed-at-getting-underserved-people-online
NPR: A look at the latest effort to get more Americans in rural communities online
Nov. 8 — Fast broadband is widely available in urban areas, but not in many rural communities. Government figures show about 1 in 5 residents don’t have reliable access to the internet, and that is despite decades of efforts made to try to reach underserved areas. States were close to putting millions of dollars for broadband to use earlier this year, when the Trump administration put out new guidance. Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope has this report.
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/08/nx-s1-5575723/a-look-at-the-latest-effort-to-get-more-americans-in-rural-communities-online
Route50: Congress is letting states hoard broadband billions
Nov. 10 — The Trump administration’s retooling of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program has already saved taxpayers tens of billions of dollars — but some members of Congress are brazenly trying to let states pocket that leftover money instead of returning it to the people who paid for it.
https://www.route-fifty.com/digital-government/2025/11/congress-letting-states-hoard-broadband-billions/409430/?oref=rf-homepage-river
Fierce Network: The FCC’s confusing move to cut down broadband labels (Opinion)
Nov. 7 — Remember the broadband “nutrition” labels ISPs are required to show consumers? The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as part of its ongoing campaign to “delete” regulations, could soon change what’s on the label and how it’s presented.
https://www.fierce-network.com/broadband/opinion-fccs-confusing-move-cut-down-broadband-labels
Texas Standard: Canceled Digital Equity Act grants disrupt projects aimed at getting underserved people online
Nov. 7 — The Digital Equity Act was designed to work in tandem with the government’s broadband infrastructure program to expand internet access and training.
https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/digital-equity-act-canceled-grants-impact-texas-trump/
The School Superintendents Association: FCC Votes to End Biden-Era Wi-Fi Hot Spot Expansion
Nov. 7 — Late last month, the FCC released orders approved just before the shut down that end E -Rate eligibility and support for Wi-Fi on school buses and Wi-Fi hotspots. Those orders reaffirm that all Program Year 2025 applications for those services will be cancelled and that school districts will receive no funding for them.
https://www.aasa.org/resources/blog/update–fcc-votes-to-end-biden-era-wi-fi-hot-spot-expansion
Benton Institute: Nearly all BEAD Final Proposals Submitted for Review
Nov. 7 — Nearly all 56 states and territories have submitted their Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program final proposals to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). For the few remaining states that received extensions on the deadline to submit final plans—California, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands—this process is still underway. This week, Guam, Texas, and Washington (DC)are on deck for a breakdown of their BEAD final proposals.
https://www.benton.org/blog/nearly-all-bead-final-proposals-submitted-review
Fort Worth Report: Fort Worth expands broadband access for residents
Nov. 6 — Construction is now underway on Fort Worth’s citywide fiber network, advancing efforts to expand broadband access and improve connectivity for both City operations and residents. This expanded access will support telework, telehealth, and tele-education opportunities, helping bridge the digital divide and assisting more residents in connecting to the services and resources they need wherever they are.