THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Southeast Texas is experiencing extraordinary economic and population growth, leading to a significant rise in electricity demand and the urgent need for Entergy Texas to add 40% more generation capacity to its power grid in four years. To help address this challenge, Entergy Texas says it has filed an application with the Public Utility Commission of Texas to seek approval of two state-of-the-art natural gas power plants to be named Legend and Lone Star.
“The Legend and Lone Star Power Stations will address the critical need for increased power generation capacity, support increased economic activity throughout the region, and pave the way for sustainable energy solutions that will benefit Southeast Texas for decades to come,” said Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “These future-forward projects are projected to save customers approximately $370 million over the lifespan of the plants.”
The Legend Power Station is a 754-megawatt combined cycle combustion turbine facility that will be located in Port Arthur, Texas. This project will be carbon capture-enabled and feature a hydrogen-capable combustion turbine. Upon completion, the $1.46 billion investment will produce enough reliable and sustainable energy to power nearly 190,000 homes–adding a significant amount of generation capacity to the Southeast Texas power grid while striving to minimize environmental impacts.
The Lone Star Power Station is a 453-megawatt combustion turbine facility that will be located near Cleveland, Texas. The $753 million investment to further modernize the power grid features a hydrogen-capable combustion turbine. Once operational, Lone Star’s cutting-edge technology will provide enough efficient and affordable energy to power over 110,000 homes.
These proposed 24/7 dispatchable power generation resources are expected to be in service by 2028 and will bring a total of $2.8 billion in economic benefits to the region. Additionally, the construction and operation of these power plants will offer substantial employment opportunities for local communities.
“As Texas continues to grow, so does our need for more dispatchable, reliable power to help businesses in Southeast Texas and across our great state thrive,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. “Entergy’s two new power stations will help bolster the electric grid, adding over 1,000 megawatts of generation capacity in four years. I thank Entergy Texas for working to bring $2.8 billion in economic investments to Southeast Texas and provide affordable power to hundreds of thousands of Texans. Together, we will power a bigger, better Texas.”
The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider approval of these critical power plants in the coming months. Approval of the two projects will increase service reliability for all customers and support large-scale economic activity in the region like Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG project.
“Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG project has the potential to be one of the most significant energy export projects in the world, bringing U.S. energy to global markets and supporting job creation, economic prosperity and wellbeing here at home. This all starts with a resilient and sustainable electricity grid,” said Justin Bird, CEO of Sempra Infrastructure and Executive Vice President at Sempra. “We are pleased to see Entergy Texas progress its initiatives to serve Southeast Texas through additional power generation, and especially through the eventual utilization of low carbon solutions, including carbon capture, hydrogen generation and renewables.”
Entergy Texas’ dispatchable generation application is a critical step forward in the company’s Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as STEP Ahead. The strategic six-step plan aims to add an additional 1,600 MW of generation capacity to the power grid by 2028, critical transmission to get power where it’s needed, and grid-hardening projects to help Southeast Texas withstand extreme weather.
Source: Entergy Texas
