Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. breaks ground on 850MW facility in Texas
by March 20, 2026 6:59 am 1,326 views
The Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC) held a ceremonial groundbreaking for an 850-megawatt (MW) natural gas-based generation facility in Morris County, Texas, near Naples. Construction of the Naples Power Plant is scheduled to begin in summer 2026.
The plant is part of AECC’s plan to address wholesale generation needs. AECC plans to have the dispatchable generation resource in commercial operation by 2029. The two-turbine, simple cycle generation facility will encompass approximately 100 acres. The facility is located within the Southwest Power Pool regional transmission organization (RTO) footprint and will assist with reliability within the RTO.
This new generation plant will be one of the lowest-emitting and most efficient simple cycle natural gas generation station in AECC’s fleet, according to the cooperative.
“The facility in Morris County, Texas, is crucial to maintaining reliable energy resources,” said Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, AECC president and CEO. “AECC continues to develop proven, readily dispatchable power generation technologies to provide our members with reliable, affordable electricity.”
Hasten said AECC evaluated potential site locations in Arkansas prior to selecting the Texas location. He cited the Morris County site’s proximity to natural gas pipelines and transmission as the primary factors in the location selection.