New natural gas power plant in Maxwell to double in size

The Lower Colorado River Authority announced that the natural- gas fired “peaker plant” being built on the outskirts of San Marcos in Maxwell will now have double the amount of energy production as originally planned.

At a ceremonial groundbreaking, officials said that this type of power plant is typically used for brief periods during peak times when the demand for power for the state’s electrical grid approaches or surpasses the amount of available power, hence the name peaker plant.

“To keep the Texas economy moving, we need more affordable, reliable power, and that’s why plants like these here in Central Texas are so incredibly important,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. “When grid demand is at its peak, these plants will quickly provide power for the grid even as we set new demand records for power every single summer.”

The new unit will be built on the same 51-acre site near Maxwell in Caldwell County where construction on the first unit of a new LCRA peaker plant is underway. It is located at the intersection of Highway 142 and Church Street, about 10 minutes from the San Marcos Regional Airport.

“We’re not just talking about the need for more power, we’re doubling down on helping meet the need,” said Phil Wilson, LCRA general manager. “We are proud to be building two units at once to help support our rapidly growing state.”

Each of the units of the plant can supply up to 190 megawatts of dispatchable power to the grid. When operating at full capacity, the plant will be able to supply enough electricity to power more than 100,000 homes during periods of peak demand.

State Senator Judith Zaffirini focused on how the plant will be able to quickly fill the specific need for energy during times of high usage.

“We rely so much on solar and wind. But we have solar when the sun shines and wind when the wind blows. So we need more dispatchable energy and that is exactly what this peaker plant will do,” Zaffirini said.

Abbott said that it would be an “extraordinary” benefit to the state’s electrical grid.

The new peaker unit will be nearly identical to the one already under construction, which is scheduled to be in service in 2025. Construction will begin later this spring on the second unit, which is expected to be in service in 2026.

During the ceremony, Wilson announced the new natural-gas fired plant will be named the Timmerman Power Plant, after longtime LCRA Board Chair Tim Timmerman of Austin, who has been on the LCRA Board of Directors since 2008 and has been Board chair since 2011. Timmerman is an Austin real estate investor/ developer.

“Texas needs more power, and LCRA is stepping up not once, but twice,” Timmerman said. “This is a great project for LCRA and a great project for the state of Texas. I had no idea about the name until today, and I’m speechless. I’m honored beyond what words can express.”

Pictured on page 1A is Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (center), who was joined at the groundbreaking by LCRA officials and other dignitaries at the site of a two-unit peaker plant LCRA is building near Maxwell. Pictured, from left, are: Edward “Ed” Theriot, Caldwell County commissioner; Kathleen Jackson, member of the Public Utility Commission of Texas; state Rep. Stan Gerdes; LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson; Gov. Greg Abbott; Tim Timmerman, chair of the LCRA Board of Directors; state Sen. Judith Zaffirini; Lori Cobos, PUC member; and Hoppy Haden, Caldwell County judge. The new Timmerman Power Plant will be able to produce about 380 megawatts of power.