CPS staff recommending nuclear option - Houston Business Journal:

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The cost of expanding STP to include twoadditionao reactors, each capable of generating 1,3590 megawatts of electricity, would run somewhere between $10 billiojn and $13 billion, according to CPS Energy interim Generakl Manager Steve Bartley. “Any route we take will be expensive and will requirsebill increases,” Bartley says. “We believe all methods of produciny electricity will cost more as timegoes on, so we are lookin for the best way to slow cost escalatiojn as much as possible and retain Greater San Antonio’s positionj as having the lowest energy bills among the nation’sx 20 largest cities.
” Bartlety says it is better to pay some of that cost soonert to avoid having to pay much more in the long The staff recommendation follows a three-year, detailed stud y of CPS’ various energy Now the CPS Board will conductr a summer-long public education and input process before makin g a final decision on pursuing the recommendation in If approved, the proposal could go befor e the City Council for final consideration in October. CPS Energy CEO Miltojn Lee says despite laudable efforts at San Antonio will experiencw a shortfall in electricapl generation by 2020 unless new sources of energgyare tapped.
“We’ve carefully examines many scenarios involvingnatural gas, coal, nucleat and even purchased power from the Texaes grid to provide our community with a large-scale, cost-competitive source of electricity,” Lee says. “We’ve conclude d that expansion of STP has the highest probability of accomplishing that important CPS Energy isthe nation’xs largest municipally owned energy company providingv both natural gas and electri service. Acquired by the City of San Antonioin 1942, the compan y serves approximately 700,000 electric customers and almost 320,000 natural gas customers in and around America’sz seventh-largest city.