AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today celebrated Texas’ efforts to add new, reliable power plants to support the state’s growing energy needs at Calpine Corporation’s (Calpine) Freestone County Energy Center expansion project announcement in Houston. This expansion project will bring more than 300 new jobs to Freestone County and 425 megawatts of new, dispatchable generation to the Texas electrical grid. These new, dispatchable megawatts accompany an additional 7,000 megawatts of dispatchable generation expected to come online in 2024.

“The bottom line is Texans need more electrical power,” said Governor Abbott. “We have a collective responsibility to make sure that we provide the power and electricity to support our growing state by adding new, reliable power plants like this one from Calpine. ERCOT, PUC, and power generators are better prepared this winter than ever before because I signed over a dozen laws to ensure they have the tools and strategies needed to generate more power and make our grid more reliable and resilient. This Freestone Energy Center expansion will ensure that reliable power is available in Texas no matter the weather, and I thank Calpine for choosing to expand their Freestone County facility.”

During his remarks, Governor Abbott touted Texas’ ongoing partnerships with energy companies to bring more reliable, dispatchable power to Texans across the state. The Governor also outlined proactive measures the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), Railroad Commission of Texas, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have taken to ensure the Texas power grid is ready for winter, including: 

• Requiring the most robust weatherization requirements in the nation, 
• Deploying additional inspectors to ensure compliance of these requirements,
• Identifying and mapping Texas’ critical energy infrastructure, 
• Providing mechanisms for better coordination between state resources and personnel and the owners of these assets, and 
• Incentivizing on-site redundant fuel supplies for dispatchable generation.

The Governor was joined by Calpine CEO Thad Hill, ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas, and other energy leaders.

Calpine is America’s largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources.