Abbott reassures small energy firms
‘Power load’ coming to support oil, gas operations, he says
Gov. Greg Abbott reassured oil and gas operators about the availability of electricity in Texas during a conference this week, telling them that “power load is going to be coming to our grid” to ensure they would be able to run their operations.
Growth in power supply has trailed the state’s “stunning” annual jump in population, Abbott said, noting roughly 925,000 people moved to Texas in 2022 and 2023.
To keep up, he told the crowd of more than 100 gathered Wednesday in the George R. Brown Convention Center auditorium in Houston, the state must prepare to increase its power supply by 10% to 15% each year.
“Wind and solar is being added as we speak,” Abbott said. “We need more of the natural gas supply to our baseload so that when the sun’s not shining, when the wind’s not blowing, we will have the power capable of ensuring that all these businesses that are coming to Texas will be able to keep the power on.”
Abbott’s comments at the North American Prospect Expo conference follow an announcement this week from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who said that if the private sector doesn’t step up to build natural gas power plants in Texas, the state would build them and contract out the operations. To spur the private sector, the state is dangling the $10 billion Texas Energy Fund, which would supply largely low-interest loans to developers of natural gas power plants.
Thousands of small oil operators, landmen and geologists gather in downtown Houston each year for NAPE. It is known in the industry for fostering an environment where independent producers can search for oil and gas land and broker business deals.
Abbott told the crowd that he aims for Texas to maintain its No. 1 spot in energy production, whether it’s oil and gas or solar and wind.
“We don’t care what type of energy you make, we just want you to make it,” he said. “And we want you to help us be No. 1 in energy in our state.”