Solar and wind energy proposals are stealing the show this Legislative session. Meanwhile, off the main stage, deals are in motion to make a former power source of the future — nuclear — an even more significant part of Texas' energy portfolio. But those plans could change amid environmental concerns and showdowns between corporate giants.

Nuclear power is the third-leading source of electricity in Texas, after natural gas and coal. In November 2008, natural gas and coal plants each produced about 40 percent of the state's electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Nuclear was next with 13 percent; about five percent came from wind and solar. Proponents of nuclear power argue that reactors are reliable, proven sources of electricity that are free from carbon pollution.

Texas now has two nuclear plants — the 2,725-megawatt South Texas Project near Houston, and the 2,300 MW Comanche Peak facility near Dallas. (By comparison, the City of Austin recently decided to build the world's largest solar panel array, at 30 MW, for about $250 million.)

Sen. Glenn Hegar, D-Katy, represents an area encompassing STP and a proposed Victoria County nuclear plant. Texas legislators are limited in what they can do to advance nuclear energy, compared to wind or solar, he says.

Nuclear power "is more of a federal issue than state. The most important thing the Legislature can do is continue to provide regulatory certainty in the restructured wholesale market," Hegar says.

Nuclear power "isn't a big part of my own personal agenda," said Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, chair of House Technology, Economic Development and Workforce. It's not that Strama's against nuclear power, he says — it's just that solar energy is more relevant to his district.

Perhaps the reason for state legislators' silence on nuclear power (no bills have been filed so far this session directly addressing the topic) is they consider their mission already accomplished.

"Didn't we do that last session with the decommissioning bill?" said an incredulous Janice McCoy, chief of staff for Senate Business & Commerce chair Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay. That legislation set up a funding mechanism for decommissioning nuclear plants in Texas' deregulated electricity market, effectively enabling the building of new reactors in the state.

Since that bill became law, applications for three projects in Texas have been submitted for federal approval. If all are okayed, the state's nuclear power production would triple in the next decade or so (A rule of thumb is that it takes about 10 years to go from application to functioning nuclear facility):

• Two new towers at STP would add an extra 2,700 MW of capacity. NRG (44 percent), CPS Energy (40 percent) and Austin Energy (16 percent) own the two existing towers. The new towers would be owned by CPS and Nuclear Innovation North America, a joint venture between NRG and Toshiba Corporation.

• Two new towers at Comanche Peak would add an extra 3,400 MW of capacity. The plant is owned by Luminant, formerly part of TXU Corp. Luminant (88 percent) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (12 percent) would own the two new towers.

• Exelon might build a brand-new plant in Victoria, consisting of two towers with a combined capacity of about 3,000 MW. Exelon will soon announce details on technology and capacity of the towers, said Bill Harris, a company exec. In 2010, Exelon will announce if it will pursue the project, Harris said.

Also, Amarillo Power and UniStar Nuclear Energy are pondering a two-reactor plant "at an undisclosed location near Amarillo," according to the Amarillo Globe-News.

None of those projects is a done deal, as corporations contend with a nationwide dearth of capital funding and opposition from grassroots groups. Texans for a Sound Energy Policy Alliance, formed by a wealthy land-owning family in Victoria to fight the proposed Exelon plant, contends that the Guadalupe River isn't an adequate source of water for a nuclear facility.

"The group is not anti-nuclear," executive Director John Figer says. "We're more site-specific about the proposed nuclear plant in Victoria County."

Echoing Figer's water worries is Karen Hadden, executive director of the statewide Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition. She also cited radioactive waste, radioactive leaks, security concerns and monetary cost as major problems with nuclear plants.

"Texas has such a wealth of wind and solar potential that it makes no sense to pursue nuclear, which is a really an energy form of the past," Hadden said.

Activists aside, the energy companies themselves might stand in the way of new nuclear production. Exelon has been attempting to take over NRG, which recently announced it will acquire Reliant's retail electric provider business. It's not clear that Exelon would pursue its Victoria plant if it successfully buys NRG (along with NRG's stake in STP).

After the NRG-Reliant announcement, Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, sent out a letter saying the transaction thwarts the intent of electricity deregulation legislation. Turner is calling for a Public Utilities Commission of Texas review of the deal.