Texas Gas Rush: Granbury

In Granbury, Hood County, Texas, Constellation Energy was selected by the Texas Energy Fund to build a 300 MW gas plant at an existing power generation site.

Granbury is home to Wolf Hollow I and II, two electric generating stations with two combined-cycle gas and steam turbines. Wolf Hollow I was built in 2003 with a capacity of 750 MW; Wolf Hollow II was built in 2017 with a capacity of 1200 MW.

In March 2023, a cryptocurrency mining company began leasing land—and buying power—from Constellation Energy to build and operate a 300 MW Bitcoin mining operation at the site. Noise from the Bitcoin mine quickly became a major problem for locals, leading to a lawsuit, an ongoing investigation, and nationwide media attention.

Public Citizen first met residents from Granbury during an August 29 town hall meeting organized to discuss the pending Texas Energy Fund decision. Most residents were opposed to a new gas plant in their neighborhood. They were suffering enough from the existing plants and especially the Bitcoin mine.

By the time Public Citizen met the folks in Granbury, Constellation had already applied for an air permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and had a public meeting scheduled for September 9. We helped residents prepare for the public meeting and submitted our own comments. We also helped residents submit written requests for a contested case hearing—a trial-like process that will allow participants to challenge the permit application.

We are waiting for the TCEQ to decide whether to grant the contested case hearing on Proposed Air Quality Permit No. 175173, PSDTX1636, and GHGPSDTX238.

Granbury residents concerned about the proposed Constellation Energy gas-burning power plant proposal attended the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality public meeting on September 9.