After a boom in wind and solar generation, regulators in the nation’s top energy-producing state are pushing ahead with a plan that would incentivize more natural gas plants on the power grid.

The deregulated power grid in Texas means no one company owns all the power plants, transmission lines and distribution networks, and about 60% of Texas customers choose between dozens of power retailers on an open market.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) today released an independent study commissioned to analyze and recommend design updates to the Texas wholesale electricity market that will strengthen current and long-term reliability reforms to the state’s electric grid.

Texas utility regulators plan to vote next week on whether to recommend the state adopt a controversial Performance Credit Mechanism designed to ensure grid reliability during periods of low non-dispatchable power.

The proposal is aimed at making sure power providers and electricity generators have enough power on hand in case of increased demand. But it’s not clear how it would hold up in unexpected weather, an expert said.

A plan to prematurely cease operations at a coal-fired power plant in eastern Texas early next year has sparked angst among members of the local community who fear severe economic consequences.