Four Major Power Projects Expected to Provide Some Relief for Texas by Late Summer

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With summer looming, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expects to start the season with tight reserves. However, the addition of several new power generation sources are anticipated to go online by the end of season, which will take some of the pressure off the operator.

By the end of August, four major projects will be completed, adding approximately 1.7 gigawatts (GW) to the region's generation capacity: the Lower Colorado River Authority's (LCRA) (Austin, Texas) Thomas C. Ferguson Power Station Replacement; Panda Energy International's (Dallas, Texas) Sherman Energy Center and Temple Energy Center; and Calpine Corporation's (NYSE:CPN) (Houston, Texas) unit addition at the Deer Park Energy Center.

ERCOT forecasts about 68,000 megawatts (MW) of peak electric demand this summer. There is currently 74,000 MW of installed generation capacity that is expected to be available. However, the amount of actual available capacity varies throughout the season, as some units experience outages.

"The outlook improves significantly by August, when we typically experience the highest system peaks of the year," said Warren Lasher, director of system planning, in a statement. "We may need to ask consumers to reduce electric use if we experience extremely hot weather or widespread unit outages during the early summer months."

If the full generating capacity from the units is not available and extreme peaking occurs, ERCOT says that it could issue an energy emergency alert. Depending on the severity of the situation, and the amount of capacity available, the grid operator could take action to protect system integrity.

View Plant Profile - 1076336 1053849 1014727 1076702

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.