Texas news station KBTX News 3 reports that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $360 million in funding for United member company Pattern Energy's Southern Spirit transmission project, which aims to connect the ERCOT grid to other U.S. power grids. The station interviewed Matthew Boms of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, who highlighted the project's potential to lower consumer energy prices and improve overall reliability and efficiency for the Texas energy market.
The Department of Energy announced last week that it would provide up to $360 million in funding to connect the ERCOT grid to US power grids in a line called the Southern Spirit.
Matthew Boms, the Executive Director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, joined First News at Four on Wednesday, and said transmission is an area the Texas grid needs to work on.
“This is a really significant project. It would potentially be interconnecting Texas to other states like Mississippi and Louisiana. Over 300 miles of high voltage transmission lines that are capable of transporting around 3,000 megawatts of electricity bidirectionally. Meaning we can export that extra electricity to other states,” Boms explained.
The project can also improve Texas' energy outlook during extreme weather events.
“One thing you can say is that Texas, operating as an island of electricity, has had some flaws in reliability and we need these kind of projects moving forward if we’re going to be able to move that clean energy around whether it’s wind, solar. Texas is blessed with those natural resources. Unfortunately, it’s getting stuck in those hot August days or during a winter storm where we’re not able to transport that electricity to where the demand is," said Boms.
When it comes to supply and demand, Boms said the Southern Spirit adds an advantage.
“That does mean that you’re going to drive the cost down for consumers, and you want to ideally hit that balance between supply and demand," he noted.
The time frame for the job? five to 10 years before Texas gains the new advantage.
“That’s a pretty average estimate. It does take time, and I think in the meantime we have to talk about solutions like energy efficiency, demand response, and distributed energy resources. There are quick fixes that we already have in our tool belt. So, I think it’s really up to the industry on how we’re going to implement those," added Boms.
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