REPORT: Anti-Energy Bill Risks More Blackouts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 21, 2025Contact:Sandie HaverlahPresident, TCA Mobile (512) 423-0913AUSTIN — A new report shows that Senate Bill 715, which would impose expensive, unnecessary costs on solar and wind energy generators, will prevent Texas from meeting electricity demand and likely lead to large-scale power outages.
The report, conducted by IdeaSmiths LLC for the Texas Consumer Association, shows that if the bill passes, the ERCOT grid could face electricity shortfalls of 14–25 gigawatts in five years. And under some scenarios, such as during extreme weather events, the grid could fall 50 gigawatts short of what is needed to meet demand.
For comparison, it is estimated that the ERCOT grid was 20 gigawatts short of meeting demand during the catastrophic Winter Storm Uri blackouts in 2021. In other words, SB 715 risks creating grid shortfalls that are more than double than those that devastated the Texas grid four years ago.
“SB 715 is anti-energy, period. It will reduce reliability, cause more blackouts, raise energy costs, and tank the Texas economy,” said Sandie Haverlah, president of the Texas Consumer Association. “Texans need more energy — we can’t afford to have energy taken away.
Unfortunately, that’s exactly what SB 715 would do.” The bill, which has already passed the Texas Senate on a 17-14 vote, would require current and future power plants to pay for enough electricity to cover their capacity when they are not running — whether or not the grid needs it. The bill exempts gas, coal, and nuclear plants from having to procure energy when they shut down for repairs or maintenance; it applies exclusively to wind and solar plants.
“These discriminatory requirements will drive up electricity costs by billions of dollars,” Haverlah said, citing another recent study by Aurora Energy, “and those costs will flow directly to consumers.” The bill also would make it nearly impossible for Texas to meet projected electricity demand — which ERCOT expects to skyrocket over the next five years as data centers, manufacturers, and new residents plug into the grid.
The bill is opposed by a broad coalition including just about every consumer and business group in the state. “SB 715 will force some power plants to shut down and prevent others from being built,” Haverlah said. “The Texas economy cannot grow without more electricity — but SB 715 would give us less.”
To see the full study, click here.