NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) has announced that it will build an electric power generation plant in Harris County, representing a qualified $617 million investment under the Texas Jobs, Energy, Technology and Innovation (JETI) program.
Located at the existing NRG Greens Bayou Facility, the plant will generate 455 megawatts (mw) of power, bringing a significant amount of new energy. The project is projected to come fully online in 2028 and will be linked to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electrical grid.
The plant will help strengthen grid reliability and create jobs, contributing to secure, dependable energy production for the local ERCOT region. The project received a $370 million Texas Energy Fund loan in November 2025, paving the way for its inclusion as a qualified project under the JETI program.
Power demand has been steadily rising as Texas continues to develop as an economic powerhouse on both a domestic and global scale. The power plant is the state’s latest effort to address that demand through a public-private partnership (P3) approach, stabilizing long-term energy generation and economic growth.
Despite its continued push to develop energy infrastructure, ERCOT’s independence from other power grids ranks it as one of the lowest performing for transmission planning. In 2025, Grid Strategies and a nonprofit advocacy group gave the council a D-, noting that its grid’s isolation prevents it from importing power during emergencies and takes a reactive approach to large transmission projects.
The NRG electric power generation plant project represents a significant step in the right direction for raising the state’s standing for both power generation and transmission. In January, ERCOT officially launched the Interconnection and Grid Analysis organization to assume greater control over rapid increases in large loads and generation resources interested in grid interconnection. The organization will oversee generation interconnection, large load interconnection, stability analysis and stability model validation efforts.
Photo by Sabian Mahmud from Pexels
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