CPS driving economic development
Energy is the heartbeat of our economy, and recent developments at CPS Energy have me hopeful we’re on the right path toward securing a place in the new energy economy.
As city and county leaders execute workforce and economic development plans to boost our economy, we need to do right by our regional community to ensure those plans deliver long-term prosperity in an environmentally conscious manner.
I applaud CPS Energy’s board and executive leadership for taking bold action. Paula Gold-williams has been doing a magnificent job as CEO in executing her board’s vision of a “people first” philosophy that puts customers, employees and the community at the forefront of every decision. Our municipally owned utility’s leadership is moving forward with people and not profit in mind.
In line with this vision, Gold-williams has instituted an international approach for addressing and balancing the pressing issues faced by our growing community. As a former member of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, former secretary of state of Texas and now co-chair of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation International Advisory Council, I believe this global perspective is needed to attract new technologies and drive economic prosperity for our entire region. Inviting expert companies from throughout the world to bring their innovation and new technologies to San Antonio is an excellent move.
This type of international approach confirms that CPS Energy is not merely a local provider of electric and natural gas services, but an economic generator and a global leader We’ve seen this with the energy economy initiative started by then-president and
CEO Doyle Beneby in 2011, and we continue to reap the benefits with Gold-williams.
Those come primarily through the utility’s latest efforts to purchase nearly one gigawatt of solar energy, storage and firming capacity meant to replace aging traditional gas steam generation resources. This effort, dubbed the Flexpower Bundle, is propelling CPS Energy onto the international stage while ensuring San Antonio continues to have reliable, resilient and affordable energy that is also good for the environment.
This measured approach is a logical next step in our utility’s clean energy transition process — and it should be praised and supported. It is good for business and economic prosperity. It is also a sensible means to secure our environmental future.
Gold-williams is trying to find innovative solutions to power our region with renewable energy. They will build on San Antonio’s investment in cutting-edge, low- and zero-emission generation sources like solar and wind and ensure these sources are reliable and ready to be deployed on demand.
Another great benefit of the Flexpower Bundle is that it will create quality jobs, further diversifying our local and regional economy. This also has the potential to further develop the workforce, improve economic mobility and help ensure prosperity.
San Antonio, we need to come together to support the Flexpower Bundle. It is incumbent upon us to ensure our community and elected officials understand the tremendous positive impact this next phase of our journey toward a new energy economy will have on our region.
The promise of economic prosperity and environmental progress is widely discussed — we have the resources to achieve it. Let’s make it happen.