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FGE Power expects to complete construction in 2017 on two identical 747-MW, combined-cycle facilities to be located on a 200-acre site in Mitchell County, Texas, within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. region, the Houston-based developer said in a July 22 news release. The company also said it has found a financial backer for the projects.
The first phase, FGE Texas I, is anticipated to break ground in the fall and reach commercial operation no later than early 2017, while the second phase, FGE Texas II, is anticipated to break ground in early 2015 and reach commercial operation by summer 2017. The baseload plants will interconnect at the Morgan Creek substation with access to the North and West ERCOT Zones.
FGE Power in April received a greenhouse gas permit from the U.S. EPA to build the project. At the time, it said it expected construction on the first phase to start this summer, with completion expected in summer 2016, and construction on the second phase to begin by the end of 2014, with completion expected in early 2017.
The 2017 time frame is opportune for commercial operation since Texas is forecast to see generation development start to seriously lose ground to matching power demand growth. ERCOT is forecasting that planning power reserve margins will fall below its...