Wärtsilä has been awarded a major contract by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), a river authority based in Austin, that provides wholesale power to the Texas power grid. Following an order by LCRA for ten Wärtsilä engines generating an output of approximately 190 MW in 2022, the new order for a further ten Wärtsilä 50SG engines will double the earlier output.
The new Timmerman Power Plant, located near Maxwell, Texas, will supply additional capacity needed to support LCRA's customers and support the Texas power grid and ERCOT, the Texas electrical grid operator. ERCOT supplies power to more than 26 million customers, or about 90 % of the state's electrical load. The additional capacity will help alleviate supply challenges created by load growth and the retirement of ageing plants in Texas.
The new plant will provide dispatchable ramp-up power to balance the increasing amount of intermittent renewables introduced into the system. There is a very high penetration of renewables installed and growing rapidly in Texas.
LCRA’s new plant will operate on natural gas and will have two units, each powered by 10 Wärtsilä engines. The first unit is expected to come online in 2025, with the second unit scheduled to be completed in 2026. The 50SG engine consumes little to no water, which is an important feature in Texas, an area often affected by drought.
