Senator Bryan Hughes Fights to Keep the Pirkey Power Plant Open
AUSTIN – Closure of the Pirkey Power Plant would mean the loss of good jobs for East Texas and less reliable power for the Texas grid. Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Tyler) is fighting to keep the plant open and issued the following statement:
“Shutting down the Pirkey Power Plant will cost us reliable power when we need it most. The decision to cut short the life of the Plant was made by an out-of-state company under pressure from climate activists. We cannot stand idly by while jobs are lost and Texans lose an important source of dependable power.
“I testified before the Public Utility Commission last week to shine a light on this. The plant has decades of useful life remaining. I have urged the Commissioners to intervene to keep the plant operating and keep its energy flowing into our grid.”
AJ Goff, President and CEO of the East Texas Electric Cooperative, issued the following statement in support of the efforts to keep the Pirkey Power Plant open:
“Early retirement of the Pirkey Power Plant will eliminate approximately 300 jobs in East Texas and threaten a reliable source of dispatchable energy for the region. We applaud Senator Hughes for testifying before the PUC and support his efforts to keep Pirkey open.”