As part of an effort to help the State of Texas meet its current and future energy needs, CenterPoint Energy announced that the first five of 15 large temporary emergency generation units recently began leaving the Greater Houston area to be deployed to the San Antonio region. To help with staging and installation in San Antonio, the units are departing Greater Houston in a series of three waves over the next two months.
In total, CenterPoint will be providing 15 large temporary emergency generation units for up to two years as part of a Texas-driven solution reached in close collaboration over the last six months with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), elected leaders, regulators and industry partners. In addition to helping reduce the risk of power generation shortfalls in San Antonio this summer and next, the cost of the deployed units will be removed from Houston-area customers’ monthly bills, saving average CenterPoint customers about $2 per month by 2027.
“All Texans can be proud that this creative, collaborative solution is moving forward to help meet our great state’s significant energy needs and improve reliability across Texas. This unprecedented contribution of value from CenterPoint to the state will help reduce the risk of energy shortfalls in San Antonio and will immediately lower monthly bills for our Houston-area customers. We look forward to successfully delivering the first five units and additional deliveries planned in the weeks ahead,” said Jason Ryan, executive vice president of regulatory services and government affairs.
Key Facts: Delivering CenterPoint’s Texas-Driven Generation Solution
In early June, ERCOT, CenterPoint, and industry partners signed final agreements to begin delivering the 15 large temporary emergency generation units for a service period of up to two years in San Antonio, starting this summer. The plan includes the following components:
- Lowering bills for Greater Houston-area customers: Costs associated with the large leased temporary emergency generation units will start coming out of rates for Houston electric customers in the coming months. By 2027, bills will be reduced by an estimated $2 per month for the average customer who uses 1,000 kWh/month.
- Meeting Texas’ current and future energy needs: The 15 large units (27MW-32MW) will provide critical generation capacity in the Greater San Antonio area to help avoid the risk of shortfalls. The units each provide enough power for about 30,000 homes and were acquired following the devastation of Winter Storm Uri across Texas in 2021.
- Forgoing revenue and profit for 15 units: CenterPoint will receive no revenue or profit from the 15 large units based on the agreement with ERCOT.
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