In this new series, we’re pulling together monthly highlights from EPSA member companies – America’s competitive power suppliers. From building exciting new electric generation resources to uplifting communities, EPSA member companies continue to lead the energy expansion. Because competitive power suppliers follow market signals to improve operations and efficiency, as well as to decide when to retire older power generation technology and invest in newer, more cost-effective and cleaner approaches, EPSA member companies are uniquely positioned to lead investment in new technology and innovative solutions. Since the creation of competitive electricity markets over twenty years ago, competitive power suppliers have driven progress for energy customers and the environment.
Here, you’ll see the latest news from Vistra Corp., Calpine, LS Power, NRG Energy, and Competitive Power Ventures through the month of April. From development and use of groundbreaking new technology, to responsible decarbonization and renewable growth, to retail approaches that help consumers choose and save, to solving reliability challenges, our members continue the hard work needed to bring reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable power to customers across America.
Calpine Continues Carbon Capture Push
Calpine continues to develop multiple carbon capture and storage technologies in Texas’ Baytown Energy Center and hopes to do the same with Sutter Energy Center in California, which will help reduce emissions through the emerging innovative method of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). In March, Calpine selected Technip Energies as well as Shell Catalysts and Technologies as its partner companies for the Baytown project. Baytown Energy Center is designed to provide two million tons per annum of carbon dioxide and uses natural gas-fired, combined-cycle cogeneration to provide nearly 900 MW to the Covestro LLC plant.
The Sutter Energy Center project is designed to capture CO2 from a natural gas plant and permanently secure it about half a mile underground. As of April, the Sacramento Municipal Utilities Board (SMUD) is considering Calpine’s proposal, the first of its kind in the nation, and Calpine hopes to have the plant up and running by January 2027. “We look forward to engaging in a dialogue about this technology and the project with SMUD customers and residents of Sutter County as we move through the permitting process,” Calpine spokesperson Brett Kerr said in a statement.
LS Power Energizes New Substation
LS Power Grid New York and the New York Power Authority energized a new substation, bringing the $615 million project to upgrade to the Central East Energy Connect (CEEC) to 75% completion. The effort will ease transmission bottlenecks and increase capacity by five times.
LS Power CEO Paul Segal said, “Energizing the Princetown substation is another great accomplishment for the LS Power Grid New York and New York Power Authority team. We continue looking ahead towards the completion of the Central East Energy Connect project this year, modernizing this important section of the New York State electrical system to help drive the transition towards reliable clean energy.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also spoke on the development of the Central East Energy Connect, saying “With this Central East Energy Connect milestone, we are enhancing and upgrading our electric grid to help withstand weather changes, all while supporting good-paying clean energy jobs.”
CPV Adds Renewable Generation
Competitive Power Ventures continues to grow its renewable portfolio. April brought CPV completion of the acquisition of four Maine wind farms, adding over 81 MW in renewable generation.
“The acquisition of these four projects is a step forward for CPV as we continue to grow our renewable operating portfolio. The projects contribute meaningfully to the supply of clean reliable energy in New England and to our municipal utility customers,” said Sean Finnerty, EVP of Mergers & Acquisitions and Renewable Energy for CPV. “We look forward to working to ensure the continued safe operation of the wind projects.”
Vistra Corp. Talks Reliability, Affordability, and Sustainability
Vistra Corp. President and CEO Jim Burke was a guest on the Texas Power Podcast, where he spoke with Doug Lewin on ways Vistra is addressing challenges facing the Texas grid. Burke discussed topics ranging from the Inflation Reduction Act and its implications to the transition to a decarbonized system, to Vistra’s focus on balancing reliability, affordability, and sustainability.
“A state like Texas has an incredible abundance of natural resources: land, wind, solar capacity, natural gas. We need to keep in mind that they all actually can work in harmony, and they’re actually needed to ensure a reliable electric grid,” Burke said. “The more that we’ve moved into wind and solar, what we would call the non-dispatchable or the intermittent resources, the more that you have to respond pretty quickly to supply-demand volatility. That price signal is to turn generators on, but it’s also to have load respond to it as well.”
NRG Energy’s Reliant Boosts Consumer Choice
NRG Energy Executive Vice President and Reliant President Elizabeth Killinger spoke on Greater Houston Partnership’s Rise to the Top Podcast on her story and impact at NRG.
Killinger says being a part of opening Texas’ market to competition in the early ’00s felt like “the world’s largest startup.” She says she joined the energy business because “energy is a product everybody needs, and I wanted to be a part of making a difference to people.”
In other news, Reliant also rolled out its new Flextra Credits plan this month, a move which brings even more agency to the customer through a customizable credit system that provides two free days per week—the days of highest usage plus three bill credits that the customer can choose to use at any time during the year. The plan puts power in the hands of the customer
Great Day Houston host Deborah Duncan introduced Reliant’s Meghan McConomy and started off the interview summing up what electricity customers need. “For a lot of people, when they have an electric plan, they just kind of sign up and forget about it. They don’t necessarily understand, we have a lot more control … than we did even a few years ago.” The Flextra Credits plan, McConomy said, “really takes out the guesswork.” Plus, with the Make It Solar feature, McConomy added, customers don’t have to get solar panels installed and can still benefit from solar-sourced energy powering their home.
EPSA continues to advocate for its competitive members and we – together with the nation – see their benefits every day. Stay tuned for next month’s highlights, and see the ways competitive power suppliers are impacting and strengthening the grid, providing more choice and energy solutions, benefiting consumers, and powering a reliable, cleaner, and more affordable future.
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