Air permits extended for Tenaska Trailblazer power plant; still no construction date set

The proposed Tenaska Trailblazer Energy Center near Sweetwater still is slogging forward. A series of political and administrative hurdles have kept the proposed coal-fired power plant from taking shape since plans were announced four years ago. However, new concerns about Texas' ability to provide adequate electric power in future summers have company officials lobbying for federal incentives to help the proposed power plant get up and running. Last month, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted the center an 18-month extension for air quality permits. Tenaska requested the extension to give more time for there to be "more certainty in federal policies that encourage and provide incentives for development of coal-fueled projects like Trailblazer," company officials said in a statement. Tenaska is pointing to data that suggest the Texas electric grid does not have adequate reserves for future years. Such fears were highlighted in a 135-page report released last week from a Massachusetts-based consulting group, the Texas Tribune reported. Two days prior, a national study noted Texas would face especially tight electric reserves this summer.