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Vistra to Install New Gas-Fired Units at Permian Basin Power Plant

LCG, September 30, 2025--Vistra Corp. announced yesterday that it will proceed with the next phase of its capital plan to support grid reliability in Texas. In 2024, Vistra identified over $1 billion worth of potential capital additions in generation capacity within the Texas ERCOT market by 2028 if market conditions were supportive. Now, with West Texas' growing power requirements, particularly the state's expanding oil and natural gas industries, Vistra reached a final investment decision and confirms it will build two new advanced natural gas-fired power units on-site at its Permian Basin Power Plant.

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ERCOT Announces New Grid Research, Innovation and Transformation (GRIT) Initiative

LCG, September 24, 2025--Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT) yesterday announced its new initiative to increase its efforts to fully use and apply innovation and transformation through industry collaboration to best overcome the challenges and opportunities facing future grid operations. The new Grid Research, Innovation, and Transformation (GRIT) initiative will advance research and prototyping of emerging concepts and solutions to better understand the implications of rapid grid and technology evolution and position ERCOT to lead in the future energy landscape.

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Industry News

Efficient Coal Generation Counted Towards Maine Renewable Target

LCG, Aug. 15, 2002--A requirement for 30 percent renewable-source power generation set within 1997 restructuring legislation in Maine is being met in part by cogeneration fueled by coal.

The allowance for coal being burned to produce both electricity and steam to help meet the renewables target was part of a compromise among legislators and interest groups, such as paper pulp mills. The percentage of power generated from varous sources is indicated to customers of Central Maine Power Co. in a regular status report. According to the report, the breakdown includes: oil, 26.3 percent; nuclear, 26 percent; coal, 18.2 percent; natural gas, 6.5 percent, for a total of 77 percent fossil fuels.

According to Maine's public advocate, Stephen Ward, coal is an "eligible resource" in meeting the 30 percent renewable target. It is considered so because cogeneration is a more efficient process than simple burning of coal for electricity alone. A note reads, "For the purposes of meeting the 30 percent portfolio requirement, 64.3 percent of the coal resource meets the eligible resource requirement of MPUC chapter 311." This means that "eligible resource" coal contributes 11.7 percent of the generation total, while biomass contributes 11.3 percent, hydro is at 10.3 percent, and municipal trash at 1.4 percent.

Some biomass plants in the state which produced power in 1997 no longer operate, due to their being uncompetitive.
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