The first of two 800-megawatt units at Luminant’s new Oak Grove power plant in Robertson County, Texas, is now online, having recently achieved substantial completion. “Achieving this critical step signals the end of construction and the beginning of Luminant’s operation of another significant source of baseload generation for Texas,” said Mike Williams, chief fossil officer. “Our operations team is fully engaged in the day-to-day management of the unit, which will generate needed electricity to help meet our state’s growing power demands.”

Oak Grove Unit 1, as well as Unit 2 upon completion, will have lower emission rates than any existing lignite plant in the state and at least 70% lower than the national coal plant average. Oak Grove is also the nation’s first pulverized coal plant fueled by lignite to use new activated carbon sorbent injection technology to remove mercury. Oak Grove Unit 2 is scheduled for completion in mid-2010. Combined, the plant will be capable of generating 1,600 mw, enough to power nearly 850,000 average Texas homes.

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