Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on June 10 announced that 456 megawatts of new, dispatchable natural gas power generation units at NRG Energy’s TH Wharton Generating Station in Houston have come online.
The units, backed by a loan through the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF), add enough electricity to power more than 100,000 Texas homes during peak hours.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) administers the TxEF, which incentivizes the construction of new, reliable power generation and grid resiliency and reliability projects.
The new simple-cycle combustion turbine units will provide critical reliability support during periods of peak electricity demand. Dispatchable power units respond rapidly to changing grid conditions, including hot summer afternoons and severe winter weather events.
In addition to the TH Wharton facility, NRG Energy is advancing additional TxEF-supported generation projects at its Cedar Bayou and Greens Bayou sites.
Collectively, the company’s planned projects are expected to add more than 1.5 gigawatts of new natural gas generation capacity in Texas by 2028.
