Montgomery County Power Station (MCPS) is a new combined-cycle natural gas power plant being developed on the northern portion of the Lewis Creek Reservoir in Willis, Texas, US. Entergy Texas, a subsidiary of Entergy, is the owner, developer and operator of the project.
The power station will have an installed capacity of 993MW and a design life of 30 years. Construction will begin in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2021 with an investment of $937.3m.
Entergy submitted a proposal to the Public Utility Commission of Texas to build the Montgomery County power station in October 2016 and the proposal was approved in July 2017.
The plant will aid Entergy to provide clean energy to its more than 455,000 customers in 27 counties in the south-east Texas region. It is being supported by more than 70 cities, organisations, and council boards in the region.
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Montgomery County power station make-up
The Montgomery County power station will feature a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) in 2x1 configuration. It will use the latest and most modern emission control technology to reduce emissions.
The high-efficiency CCGTs will generate cleaner electricity compared to the existing plants. The combined-cycle operation will use natural gas-powered turbines and a heat recovery steam generator, which will capture exhaust heat from the gas turbine.
The heat will be delivered to a steam turbine to produce additional electricity, which will account for approximately half of the CCGT plant output.
Contractors involved with the Montgomery County power station
McDermott has been awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the power plant in the first quarter of 2017. The EPC contract is estimated to be valued between $500m and $750m.
The company also received the official notice to proceed with the EPC activities in September 2018.
Economic benefits of the project
The Montgomery County power station is expected to generate approximately $1bn in economic activity across the state of Texas, according to the economic impact study by TXP, an independent economic analysis and development consultant. It will create approximately $410m of direct investment in the locality and $307m in worker earnings.
The project will also provide 7,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs and employ 750 on-site workers during the construction phase. An estimated 25 long-term permanent jobs will be created with a combined annual remuneration of approximately $3.2m.
The power station is expected to help Entergy Texas’ customers save approximately $1.7bn over 30 years of operation. The low-cost operation will not only provide cheaper electricity to its direct customers but also compensate for the expenditure involved in the construction of the plant, after ten years of its full-time operation.