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Texas electric firm files for bankruptcy citing $1.8B in claims

reuters.com

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Re: Texas electric firm files for bankruptcy citing $1.8B in claims

#7
post #2

Isnt this a common tactic, to declare bankruptcy in face of large liabilities?

Privatize the profits and socialize the losses

That's not what bankruptcy is? Unless you consider creditors and equity holders "society".

Re: Texas electric firm files for bankruptcy citing $1.8B in claims

#8
post #2

Isnt this a common tactic, to declare bankruptcy in face of large liabilities?

No question about that. The novelty is that a single snow/ice weather event could push a large utility operator into bankruptcy

Or like California is it that deferring costs (winterizing in TX and fire prevention and forest clearing in CA) makes executives look good while kicking problems down the road, maybe even decades down the road.

Here in New Zealand the line network operator in the city of Dunedin has underinvested in the city line network, so instead of replacing power poles, they have simply changed the rules so that 2,500+ unserviceable old decaying power poles are suddenly within spec [1]... Meanwhile they are raising prices [2]

I have little doubt that when a major storm hits knocking out 100s or 1000s of power poles, they will simply blame climate change. Yes, the climate is changing, but the reason they will have failed is terrible, terrible management.

[1] https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/366398/thousands-of-powe...

[2] https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/124391663/aurora...

Re: Texas electric firm files for bankruptcy citing $1.8B in claims

#9
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Privatize the profits and socialize the losses

That's not what bankruptcy is? Unless you consider creditors and equity holders "society".

Massive bonuses would have been paid out already while the liability burdened company will need to be bailed out.

Re: Texas electric firm files for bankruptcy citing $1.8B in claims

#10

This is a trend. PG&E in CA started it and now Texas... I guess climate change is risky business after all.

Or you could say that CA and TX are demonstrating that deregulation is a failed strategy.

"Vital infrastructure" and "market driven" are rarely a good match.

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