WA Parish Generating Station
| Company type | Power station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Headquarters | Thompsons, Texas , United States |
Area served | Houston metropolitan area |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | NRG Energy |
W.A. Parish Generating Station
Situated near Thompsons, Texas, the W.A. Parish Generating Station is a dual-fuel power facility with an installed capacity of 3.65 gigawatts (3,653 MW). Occupying a 4,664-acre area adjacent to Smithers Lake southwest of Houston in Fort Bend County, Texas, the complex consists of two separate plants: one fueled by natural gas and another coal-fired unit totaling 2,697 MW. Ranking as the second largest conventional fossil fuel power station in the United States, it fulfills roughly 15% of Houston’s electricity requirements. Ownership and operations are managed by NRG Energy.
The station receives daily shipments of low-sulfur coal from the Powder River Basin, delivered via three 115-car trains carrying approximately 36,000 tons to units 5 through 8.
In January 2017, the Petra Nova Carbon Capture Project was finalized, becoming the world’s largest post-combustion carbon capture system installed on an existing power plant. This initiative captured 1.6 million tons of purified carbon dioxide from unit 8 and transported it over an 82-mile pipeline to the West Ranch Oil Field located in Jackson County, Texas. Fueled by natural gas, the facility aimed to lower carbon emissions by an estimated 785,000 tons annually. The project incurred costs near $1 billion but was temporarily shut down from May 2020 until September 2023 due to depressed oil prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next to the Parish Station lies the Brazos Valley Power Plant, a natural gas-powered facility operated by Calpine Energy that began operations in 2003.
Notable Incidents
During the 2021 Texas power crisis, the Parish Station experienced a generation capacity reduction of up to 664 MW, which included an initial drop of 80 MW that played a role in triggering rolling blackouts.
On May 8, 2022, a fire broke out in the Unit 8 turbine, which has a capacity of 610 MW. Although no injuries resulted from the blaze itself, six workers were briefly hospitalized due to chemical exposure during subsequent repair efforts. The turbine suffered significant damage and remained out of service as of August 2023, with repairs delayed beyond the anticipated completion date of May 7, 2023.
See also