Entergy Texas has secured approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to construct two natural gas power plants, Legend and Lone Star, with a combined capacity of more than 1.2GW.

The power stations are part of Entergy Texas’ Southeast Texas Energy Plan, also known as STEP Ahead.

The addition of these power stations, alongside the Orange County Advanced Power Station project, underlines Entergy Texas's efforts towards providing cost-effective, dependable, and sustainable energy to customers and communities throughout Southeast Texas.

The power stations will be capable of powering more than 300,000 homes and supporting the area's rapid expansion.

The 754MW Legend power station, to be built in Port Arthur, represents a $1.6bn investment.

It is designed to power more than 190,000 homes and is expected to inject $1.79bn into the regional economy during its construction phase.

Meanwhile, the 453MW Lone Star power station, planned near Cleveland, will be developed with an investment of $799m.

It will have the capacity to supply power to more than 110,000 homes and is anticipated to generate $951m in regional economic activity.

Both facilities are expected to come online by mid-2028.

Entergy Texas CEO Eliecer Viamontes said: “We’ve heard directly from our customers and communities about the need for more power to support our rapidly growing region, and these facilities will deliver just that.

“From families and business owners to schools and essential services, these power plants strengthen our ability to serve our customers who count on us every day. It’s also a reflection of the extraordinary expansion in our service area and our continued commitment to meeting that growth head-on.” 

Entergy Texas, a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation, delivers electricity to approximately 524,000 customers across 27 counties in the US.

In June 2024, Entergy signed a five-year joint development agreement with NextEra Energy Resources for 4.5GW of new solar and energy storage projects in the US.