Texas Sets New All-Time Wind Energy Record

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I started working for Texas Electric at the Morgan Creek gas-fired plant back in1979. I remember gas prices in state were a cause of a lot of pain, but Texas Electric, Dallas Power and Light, and Texas Power and light were the beneficiaries of a far-sighted Texas electric president back in the 1950's and 1960's who in 1962 signed a 30 year contract for gas at the unheard of price of 30 cents per MCF, I think that was twice or better the going rate at the time. He knew that with exploration for gas at a standstill, the price would eventually start going up and his prediction was the mid-1970s for this to happen. The gas companies were more than happy to oblige him at the time. However, in 1978 we were now paying an eighth of what the going price was, and they tried to break the contract, not set to expire until around 1990. Lawsuits were filed, and on one in federal court, the Carter admin tried to intervene on the side of the gas companies. They failed.

They also tried to use this as an excuse to put ERCOT under FERC control. They failed again. The new DOE then tried to get another utility with interstate ties to send electricity bought from Texas Electric across state lines into Oklahoma. TESCO got wind of this and stationed a line crew near the switchyard that would close the tie to do this, with orders to cut the lines as soon as they saw the breaker for the line to Oklahoma close. It did, and they cut the lines. This led to another lawsuit which the Carter admin tried to intervene. It failed again.

Oscar Wyatt and his company at Coastal reneged on its contract with Austin to provide long term gas at cheap prices at about the same time.

The feds should have gotten Oscar's legal team to assist them.....

[Joe Wooten]

Oscar Wyatt and his company at Coastal reneged on its contract with Austin to provide long term gas at cheap prices at about the same time.

The feds should have gotten Oscar's legal team to assist them.....

TESCO had much better lawyers than Austin did. The contract was with Lone Star Gas and TESCO proved they were making money with that contract, just not as much as they wanted to......If I remember right, the TESCO president was a man named J.B. Thomas.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

If I remember right, the TESCO president was a man named J.B. Thomas.

Used to like his songs.

Whoops, that was B.J. Thomas