We are working to meet the current and future energy needs of Texas with several significant power initiatives.
To help support the state’s growing need for carbon-free energy, we are planning an expansion of our South Texas nuclear facility—in conjunction with San Antonio's CPS Energy. The addition of two new units, which will utilize NRC-Certified Advanced Boiling Water Reactor technology, will more than double the current capacity of the facility. The expansion will produce nearly 2,700 megawatts (MW) of electricity for the region—enough to supply more than two million households in the region.
Through our subsidiary, Padoma Wind Power, we recently launched construction on two carbon-free wind projects in West Texas:
The Sherbino Wind Farm, a partnership with BP Alternative Energy North America Inc., will be a 150 MW wind project (75 MW owned by Padoma) with 50 Vestas 3 MW wind turbine generators in Pecos County, Texas east of Fort Stockton.
The Elbow Creek Wind Project will be a 122 MW wind farm in Howard County near Big Spring, Texas. The project will feature 53 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbine generators—enough to power nearly 100,000 homes.
At the Cedar Bayou Generating Station, a joint venture between NRG and EnergyCo, an expansion is underway to bring 550 megawatts (MW) of clean and efficient electricity generation to the Houston region, enough to power more than 440,000 homes. The plant will utilize a flexible generating system to quickly respond to rapidly changing load conditions, like those experienced on hot afternoons or icy mornings. A new natural gas-fueled combined cycle generating plant is expected to be completed in 2009 for peak summer demand.
At our Limestone Electric Generating Station, we plan to add a third coal-fueled generating unit that will utilize state of the art controls to reduce air emissions. The facility will also feature a dry cooling process to significantly reduce its water consumption. Expected to begin operating in 2012, this expansion will bring nearly 750 megawatts of low-cost, stable electric generation capacity to the region—enough to power 600,000 households.
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