Arkansas Electric Cooperatives to build 900-MW gas plant in Texas
by August 14, 2024 3:16 pm 1,346 views
A rendering shows the 900-megawatt gas plant that Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. plans to build in Morris County, Texas.
Little Rock-based generation and transmission cooperative Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Corp. (AECC) plans to build a 900-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant on about 100 acres in Morris County, Texas, near Naples.
Construction of the two-turbine, simple-cycle gas plant is set to begin in summer 2026. It’s planned to start operations by 2029. The new plant is part of AECC’s plans to replace electricity generation that’s being lost due to the closure of two coal-fired power plants. The cost is estimated at $800 million.
According to AECC, the plant will be one of its “highest-performing, lowest-emitting and most efficient natural gas plants.”
Vernon ‘Buddy’ Hasten, president and CEO of AECC, said the company is committed to continuing to fulfill its mission to provide electric cooperative members with reliable, affordable power responsibly. The plant will provide an anytime, on-demand energy resource for AECC’s 17 distribution cooperatives and its 1.2 million electric cooperative members in Arkansas, parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Louisiana.
“The facility in Morris County, Texas, is crucial to maintaining reliable energy resources,” Hasten said. “AECC continues to review proven, readily dispatchable power generation technologies to provide our members with reliable, affordable electricity.”
In a recent electric cooperatives conference, Hasten said at least $2 billion in new electricity generating capacity would meet energy demand as power plants are retired and reserve margins rise. To pay for the new capacity, consumers can expect a 14% rate increase, split into four smaller increases from 2025 to 2028.
Hasten said AECC evaluated potential site locations in Arkansas before selecting the Texas location. The Morris County site’s proximity to natural gas pipelines and transmission were primary factors in site selection. A project open house is set to take place Wednesday (Aug. 14) in Naples. AECC staff will meet the community and share plans.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution cooperatives, AECC and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI), a Little Rock-based cooperative that provides services to the distribution cooperatives. The cooperatives provide electricity to about 600,000 homes, farms and businesses in Arkansas and surrounding states.