GRANBURY, Texas, July 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior
executives from Exelon Generation, Alstom, General Electric and
Zachry were joined by community leaders from Hood County, Texas to officially break ground
today on the construction of a new low-carbon, combined-cycle gas
turbine (CCGT) at Exelon's Wolf Hollow Generating Station in
Granbury. The new CCGT will provide an additional 1,000
megawatts to the existing 704 megawatt natural gas power plant. The
new unit will be one of the most environmentally friendly and
efficient CCGTs in the state and the nation, using General
Electric's most advanced gas turbine technology and an air cooling
system, eliminating the use of water to cool the unit.
Construction of the new unit is a part of Exelon Generation's
ongoing growth strategy and will allow the company to offer more
low-carbon electricity to the growing Texas market. The new unit at Wolf Hollow is
one of two new CCGTs the company is developing in Texas. The other 1,000 megawatt CCGT will be
constructed at Exelon's existing Colorado Bend Generating Station
in Wharton, Texas, which is
approximately 60 miles outside of Houston. Both units are expected to achieve
commercial operation in 2017.
"Exelon is a forward-looking company, and what we see is a clean
energy future that includes this kind of new technology, which uses
little water and produces few emissions while generating
electricity at a very low cost," said Ken
Cornew, president and CEO, Exelon Generation. "We're
delighted to be the first to employ this GE technology, and we're
delighted to do it in Texas. This
is how Exelon sees the energy future of America – clean, affordable
and efficient."
"Hood County is elated to
expand upon our successful 'power partnership' with Exelon. Exelon
exemplifies our joint commitment to water conversation and energy
production," said Hood County
Commissioner Butch Barton. "We are
excited about the reality of the hundreds of construction jobs and
tax revenues, which are the life blood of a county's ability to
provide quality of life for the community. We are 'doubling down'
on our successful relationship with Exelon."
"Exelon Generation is focused on teamwork to create innovative
solutions for our customers," said Corey
Hessen, vice president of Generation Development, Exelon
Generation. "We are very proud of how our integrated development
team of Exelon, Alstom, GE and Zachry created a generation solution
that meets the needs of Texas,
successfully balancing the need for new sources of power with
environmental considerations."
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC) is the nation's leading
competitive energy provider, with 2014 revenues of approximately
$27.4 billion. Headquartered in
Chicago, Exelon does business in
48 states, the District of
Columbia and Canada. Exelon
is one of the largest competitive U.S. power generators, with more
than 32,000 megawatts of owned capacity comprising one of the
nation's cleanest and lowest-cost power generation fleets. The
company's Constellation business unit provides energy products and
services to more than 2.5 million residential, public sector and
business customers, including more than two-thirds of the Fortune
100. Exelon's utilities deliver electricity and natural gas to more
than 7.8 million customers in central Maryland (BGE), northern Illinois (ComEd) and southeastern Pennsylvania (PECO). Follow Exelon on Twitter
@Exelon.
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SOURCE Exelon Generation