The power plant has been built by a turn-key construction consortium of Bechtel and Siemens Energy to provide electricity to meet the growing power needs of up to 750,000 homes within the 60,000 square mile region.
Siemens Energy designed power island package as a completely integrated unit while Bechtel was responsible for the engineering and procurement for the remainder of the plant, and the installation, construction and commissioning of the facility.
Considered to be one of the most advanced gas-fueled power stations in the nation, the Panda Temple plant features generation and emissions-control technology.
In addition to supporting the integrity of the state’s electricity grid and the development of renewable generation in Texas, the plant can operate at a higher power output during high temperature conditions using gas turbines.
According to an economic analysis conducted by Impact Data Source of Austin, Texas, the plant is expected to contribute up to $1.6bn to the Central Texas economy during the now-completed construction phase and the plant’s first 10 years of operation.
Currently, Bechtel and Siemens Energy are developing 758MW Panda Temple II power project to double the size of the Temple plant to 1,516MW which is enough to cater to the power requirements of up to 1.5 million homes.
The Temple II expansion is scheduled to enter into service during the summer of 2015.
The two generating stations are situated at the Synergy Industrial Park in South Temple.
