ICYMI: Powering Texans CEO Walt Baum Testifies Before Legislative Oversight Committee on Grid Reliability
Contact: [email protected]
December 5, 2025
Austin, Texas — This week, Powering Texans CEO Walt Baum testified before the Texas Grid Reliability Legislative Oversight Committee, highlighting the progress that legislators, ERCOT, the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) and Powering Texans’ member companies have made in strengthening the Texas grid while cautioning policymakers against measures that would undermine certainty and stability in Texas’ power generation market.
Baum expressed concerns regarding the potential expansion of the Texas Energy Fund (TEF) program, and the signals that doing so could send to investors:
“From our perspective, we’ve always seen that the TEF was meant as a tool to help jump start construction of power plants in this market. And we think it’s a good one-time fix. We worry about the Energy Fund continuing into perpetuity, because then, if you’re just giving out more money for new generation, I worry that you’re getting away from the competitive market… I do worry that continued changes…could have the negative effect of even slowing down the bills that are currently in the queue. So we just need stability moving forward.”
Baum also touched on the importance of investing in data center development in the state of Texas:
“We’ve heard a lot about data centers, we think encouraging data center development will enable Texas to continue to play the larger role in the tech industry, provide critical tax revenue for a lot of smaller localities, and provide long term price certainty for power generators.”
Baum emphasized that data center development, when properly structured, can complement grid reliability by including backup power supplies and providing emergency power to the grid:
“I think structured correctly, data center development does not come at the cost of reliability. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. A lot of these facilities are going to be constructed with their own backup power supply. And working with ERCOT, I think in terms of emergency, these operators will be able to route their power back to the grid at no cost to consumers. Our energy only market structure is designed for load growth to send signals that we need to build new generation, and I think this data center development is the type of load growth that the market’s been waiting for.”
To watch Baum’s full testimony, click here.
ABOUT POWERING TEXANS
Powering Texans advocates for free market policies and principles within the Texas energy landscape, and promotes the general welfare of all Texans. By keeping the energy market free from excessive government control, we seek to promote investment, encourage competition, and deliver a stronger grid for Texans, their businesses, and their families. To learn more, visit https://poweringtexans.com/
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