Texas could connect its decentralized electrical grid to the rest of the country’s system without losing autonomy and without action from the state legislature, according to Pat Wood, who previously served as the top official for both the state’s and the nation’s energy regulators.
Wood, now CEO of the Hunt Energy Network, said during a Texas Tribune panel discussion about changes to the state’s power grid that long-held fears of additional federal oversight have dissuaded Texas from fully connecting to the national power networks, which would allow the state to buy and sell energy with the rest of the country.
Texas relies on a separate power grid from the two larger national grids and is in most respects not subject to federal regulation. The state can draw a very limited amount of power from out-of-state sources.
