Gas

Entergy’s 993-MW Montgomery County CCGT gas-fired plant commercially operational

Entergy’s 993-MW Montgomery County CCGT gas-fired plant commercially operational

Entergy Corp. announced that its first new-build power plant in Texas in four decades has achieved commercial operation.

The Montgomery County Power Station started commercial generation at the beginning of the year, according to the utility. The 993-MW combined cycle gas-fired plant is located in southeast Texas.

“We are excited to announce that the Montgomery County Power Station achieved commercial operation and is serving customers well ahead of schedule,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, Inc. “The plant will not only meet our customers’ needs today by improving reliability and resulting in substantial customer savings, but it also

Construction on the facility in Willis began in 2018, and the plant officially reached commercial operation well ahead of its originally scheduled completion date, according to the utility. In total, construction of the plant resulted in approximately 1,000 onsite employees and created a significant economic impact on the local area, with millions spent with local vendors.

 Ongoing operations of the plant will employ 31 people.

“Thank you to the Public Utility Commission, state and local stakeholders, for their partnership and support to bring this modern and efficient plant to our region,” said Rainer.   

Combined-cycle gas turbine units like the Montgomery Power Station emit on average about 40 percent less carbon dioxide than Entergy’s older natural gas-powered units, the company says. Because of the plant’s high efficiency, it has been projected customers will save between $1.3 billion and $2 billion over the anticipated 30-year life of the plant.

The completion of the Montgomery County Power Station is the latest step in Entergy Texas’ plan to modernize its infrastructure. Over the next three years, Entergy Texas is investing $2.1 billion in new generation, transmission and distribution upgrades to meet growing demand, replace aging infrastructure and improve service to customers across southeast Texas.  

Overall, Montgomery County Power Station is the New Orleans-based parent Entergy’s third combined cycle gas turbine plant to open in the past two years. Last year, the Lake Charles Power Station began commercial operation in Louisiana, while the J. Wayne Leonard CCGT plant also started up near New Orleans.

Each of those three plants are powered by Mitsubishi gas-fired turbines. McDermott International was the primary contractor on the construction.

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to approximately 461,000 customers in 27 counties. Entergy Corp. owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 MW of electric generating capacity, including 8,000 megawatts of nuclear power.

Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of $11 billion and approximately 13,600 employees.