Power plants in the ERCOT (Texas) balancing area
The ERCOT (Texas) balancing area takes in 935 power plants with 173.6 GW of nameplate capacity, the third-largest of the 40 areas covered here. Its plants sit in two states, with Texas holding 99% of the capacity. Natural gas makes up 39% of the mix, and the largest plant is W A Parish (4,008 MW). Since 2020, 60.2 GW has come online here, 46% of it solar.
- Natural gas68,081 MW39%
- Wind40,234 MW23%
- Solar30,018 MW17%
- Coal14,330 MW8.3%
- Battery storage13,914 MW8.0%
- Nuclear5,139 MW3.0%
- Oil and petroleum874 MW0.5%
- Hydroelectric567 MW0.3%
- Other sources283 MW0.2%
- Biomass and waste137 MW0.1%
Capacity by decade it came online
NuclearCoalNatural gasOil and petroleumHydroelectricWindSolarBattery storageBiomass and wasteOther sources
Above the line: capacity operating in 2025. Below: capacity retired at plants that still run.
The 25 largest plants in the area
| Rank | Plant | State | Runs on | Capacity | First unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W A Parish | Texas | Coal | 4,008 MW | 1958 |
| 2 | South Texas Project | Texas | Nuclear | 2,709 MW | 1988 |
| 3 | Comanche Peak | Texas | Nuclear | 2,430 MW | 1990 |
| 4 | Martin Lake | Texas | Coal | 2,380 MW | 1977 |
| 5 | Forney Energy Center | Texas | Natural gas | 1,894 MW | 2003 |
| 6 | Limestone | Texas | Coal | 1,850 MW | 1985 |
| 7 | Oak Grove (TX) | Texas | Coal | 1,795 MW | 2010 |
| 8 | Midlothian Energy Facility | Texas | Natural gas | 1,734 MW | 2000 |
| 9 | Fayette Power Project | Texas | Coal | 1,690 MW | 1979 |
| 10 | Temple Power Station | Texas | Natural gas | 1,606 MW | 2014 |
| 11 | Cedar Bayou | Texas | Natural gas | 1,530 MW | 1970 |
| 12 | J K Spruce | Texas | Coal | 1,488 MW | 1992 |
| 13 | Kiamichi Energy Facility | Oklahoma | Natural gas | 1,370 MW | 2003 |
| 14 | Handley | Texas | Natural gas | 1,315 MW | 1963 |
| 15 | Jack County | Texas | Natural gas | 1,280 MW | 2006 |
| 16 | Wolf Hollow II | Texas | Natural gas | 1,231 MW | 2017 |
| 17 | Colorado Bend II | Texas | Natural gas | 1,230 MW | 2017 |
| 18 | T H Wharton | Texas | Natural gas | 1,190 MW | 1967 |
| 19 | Deer Park Energy Center | Texas | Natural gas | 1,176 MW | 2003 |
| 20 | Odessa-Ector Power Plant | Texas | Natural gas | 1,153 MW | 2001 |
| 21 | V H Braunig | Texas | Natural gas | 1,138 MW | 1966 |
| 22 | Lamar Power Project | Texas | Natural gas | 1,113 MW | 2000 |
| 23 | Rio Nogales Power Project | Texas | Natural gas | 1,108 MW | 2002 |
| 24 | Guadalupe Generating Station | Texas | Natural gas | 1,088 MW | 2000 |
| 25 | Barney M Davis | Texas | Natural gas | 1,082 MW | 1974 |
Operators with the most capacity
| Operator | Plants | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Luminant Generation Company LLC | 12 | 10.9 GW |
| City of San Antonio (TX) | 16 | 9,580 MW |
| NRG Texas Power LLC | 6 | 9,186 MW |
| RWE Clean Energy | 37 | 6,809 MW |
| Lower Colorado River Authority | 12 | 4,208 MW |
| LaFrontera Holdings LLC | 3 | 4,160 MW |
| Constellation Power, Inc | 3 | 3,776 MW |
| Engie North America | 32 | 3,373 MW |
| Invenergy Services LLC | 15 | 3,013 MW |
| STP Nuclear Operating Co | 1 | 2,709 MW |