Oak Grove Power Plant
| Company type | Power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Franklin , United States |
Area served | Texas |
Key people | Vistra Energy (operator) |
| Products | Electricity |
| Parent | Vistra Energy |
Oak Grove Power Plant is a coal-fired facility with a capacity of 1.79 gigawatts (1,796 MW), situated north of Franklin in Robertson County, Texas. Managed by Vistra Energy, the plant commenced operations in 2010.
History
The origins of Oak Grove trace back to the 1970s when Texas Power & Light—now part of Luminant—and Alcoa planned to collaboratively develop the Twin Oak Steam Electric Station in Robertson County. The initial objective was to build two lignite-fueled units, each producing 750 MW, by 1981 to provide power to Alcoa’s aluminum smelting plant located in Palestine, Texas. In 1982, Twin Oaks Reservoir was established to serve as the plant’s cooling water source. Although Alcoa sought to transfer its ownership interest to Halliburton in 1983, the stake was eventually returned to Texas Utilities in 1984. Due to limited growth in electricity demand, the project’s construction was postponed and the air permit was revoked in 1994.
The project was later rebranded as Oak Grove, and construction recommenced in 2007 under Luminant after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) granted a new air permit. The facility was redesigned to comply with contemporary emissions regulations, incorporating selective catalytic reduction technology for nitrogen oxide (NOx) reduction and activated carbon injection systems to control mercury emissions. Following completion by Fluor Corporation, Unit 1 began operations in December 2009, with Unit 2 following in June 2010. The plant obtains its lignite fuel from the nearby Kosse Mine.