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Pictured left to right: Public Utility Commission of Texas Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty, PUCT Chairman Peter Lake, PUCT Commissioners: Kathleen Jackson and Lori Cobbs, Utility Operations President for Entergy Corp. Rod West, Gov. Greg Abbott, Entergy Texas President and CEO Eliecer Viamontes, Entergy Corp. President and CEO Drew Marsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Entergy Pete Norgeot
Entergy Texas executives, Gov. Greg Abbott, government officials and community leaders gathered to celebrate a new chapter for reliable, affordable and sustainable energy across Southeast Texas. April
24, nearly 200 people attended a special groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the start of construction on the Orange County Advanced Power Station, a project underway next to Entergy Texas’ Sabine Power Plant in Orange.
At full capacity, the combined-cycle power plant will be capable of producing 1,215 megawatts of electricity per year, which is enough to power 230,000 homes.
“This groundbreaking marks the start of an exciting opportunity to serve the growing demand across Southeast Texas,” said Eliecer Viamontes, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “By investing in modern and fuel-efficient technology, we can meet the needs of our customers today while laying the foundation for future growth across our region.”
Abbott highlighted to the crowd of community and business leaders that Entergy’s new advanced power station is one of a growing list of new power plants announced this year, which are expected to collectively add more than 4,600 megawatts, with more to come. These investments will support Texas’ continued economic growth with increased power generation for the state’s growing infrastructure needs.
"Facilities like the Orange County Advanced Power Station will ensure that reliable power is available in Southeast Texas for generations to come,” said Abbott. “I want to thank the Orange County ... community leaders for all your hard work bringing such a great company to this wonderful city. And thank you to Entergy for continuing to invest in Texas and the great people of Orange. The new facility will be a Texas-sized investment in the future of Southeast Texas.”
An outside analysis conducted by TXP, Inc. determined that construction of OCAPS will create nearly $1.8 billion in total economic activity in Southeast Texas. Construction of the facility will reportedly result in more than 7,000 direct jobs and approximately 27 permanent jobs once operational.
A consortium of Mitsubishi Power Americas, Inc., Sargent & Lundy and The Industrial Company will provide Entergy Texas with engineering, procurement and construction services. Construction is expected to start in 2023 with a completion date in 2026.
The governor was joined at the groundbreaking ceremony by Viamontes, Entergy Corporation Chairman and CEO Andrew Marsh, and other elected officials and local leaders. He also presented Entergy with a proclamation during the ceremony to commemorate the construction of the new facility.
Entergy’s new power station in Orange is anticipated to ensure reliable infrastructure into the future as it replaces end-of-life gas generation with new, efficient generation.
Entergy currently provides electricity to about 500,000 customers in 27 Texas counties and 3 million customers across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The Orange groundbreaking comes on the heels of an announced collaborative effort between Entergy Texas and Monarch Energy, a company known for its green hydrogen and electro-fuels projects, to further help advance the energy infrastructure in Southeast Texas.
As part of a memorandum of understanding agreement between the two companies, Entergy Texas will work with Monarch Energy to leverage existing transmission infrastructure and/ or construct new generation resources to supply long-term renewable power to Monarch’s 500-megawatt green hydrogen electrolyzer project near Beaumont.
“Southeast Texas is growing at a rapid pace, and it’s essential we make investments that help power that growth and support a resilient electric system,” Viamontes said. “This partnership with Monarch Energy allows us to diversify our generation portfolio while also strengthening the region’s economic development.”
Monarch Energy’s hydrogen electrolyzer project represents a potential $500 million investment in the Beaumont region, creating over 500 temporary construction jobs and over 30 permanent operational jobs.
Monarch Energy began development of the facility in 2021 and expects to commence commercial operations in 2026.
“Monarch is excited to be working with a best-in-class partner in Entergy Texas,” said Ben Alingh, co-founder and CEO of Monarch Energy. “Securing a reliable supply of clean power is critical to the success of our green hydrogen project in Beaumont.”