Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) held a ceremonial groundbreaking for an 850-megawatt (MW) natural gas-based generation facility in Morris County, Texas, near Naples. Construction of the Naples Power Plant is scheduled to begin in summer 2026. AECC plans to have the dispatchable generation resource in commercial operation by 2029.
Vernon “Buddy” Hasten, president and CEO of AECC and Arkansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (AECI), said, “The facility in Morris County, Texas, is crucial to maintaining reliable energy resources. AECC continues to develop proven, readily dispatchable power generation technologies to provide our members with reliable, affordable electricity.”
Hasten said that AECC evaluated potential sites in Arkansas prior to selecting the Texas location. He cited the Morris County site’s proximity to natural gas pipelines and transmission as the primary factors in the location selection.
This new state-of-the-art asset will be one of the lowest-emitting and most efficient simple cycle natural gas generation stations in AECC’s fleet.