Freestone Co, Tx (FOX 44) – A planned expansion at a Freestone County power plant is expected to bring 300 new jobs, and also add 425 megawatts of new, dispatchable power generation to the Texas electrical grid.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott joined with Calpine Corporation CEO Thad Hill and ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vargas in making the announcement. The expansion of Calpine Corporation’s Freestone County Energy Center will add to a total of 7,000 additional megawatts expected to come on line in the near future.
“The bottom line is Texans need more electrical power,” said Governor Abbott. “We have a collective responsibility to make sure that we provide the power and electricity to support our growing state by adding new, reliable power plants like this one from Calpine. ERCOT, PUC, and power generators are better prepared this winter than ever before. This Freestone Energy Center expansion will ensure that reliable power is available in Texas no matter the weather, and I thank Calpine for choosing to expand their Freestone County facility.”
Calpine announced earlier this year that critical components, including gas turbines and generators, have been procured and were ready for deployment. The new facility is expected to be operational before the summer of 2026.
The company also said they would be fitting power generation projects with equipment to capture CO2 emissions designed to deliver near-zero carbon power which could be dispatched 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
During his remarks, Gov. Abbott said Texas was continuing its partnership with energy companies to bring more reliable, dispatchable power to Texans across the state and outlined proactive measures that the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Railroad Commission of Texas, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have taken to ensure the Texas power grid is ready for winter, including:
- Requiring the most robust weatherization requirements in the nation
- Deploying additional inspectors to ensure compliance of these requirements
- Identifying and mapping Texas’ critical energy infrastructure
- Providing mechanisms for better coordination between state resources and personnel and the owners of these assets
- Incentivizing on-site redundant fuel supplies for dispatchable generation.
