South Texas Project Unit 2 to Restart Before 'Tight' Texas Summer Kicks In

SUGAR LAND--March 5, 2012--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) (Austin, Texas) said in a press release issued late last week that "generation capacity for the state's wholesale power system is expected to be tight this summer." Kent Saathoff, ERCOT's vice president of grid operations and system planning, said, "Based on the National Weather Service's three-month outlook, we are expecting above-normal temperatures this summer--though not as extreme as last summer's." The ERCOT grid covers 75% of Texas' land area and carries approximately 85% of the state's electric load.

The ERCOT board was almost certainly relieved to hear executives of NRG Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NRG) (Princeton, New Jersey) confirm that 1,280-MW Unit 2 of the South Texas Project nuclear power station, near Wadsworth, Texas, will return online in mid-April.