CenterPoint proposes major natural gas project
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Texas-based CenterPoint Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNP) is planning to build a $323 million natural gas turbine facility in Posey County. The utility, which operates its natural gas business out of Evansville, says the project will include two natural gas combustion turbines designed to replace portions of its existing coal-fired generation fleet.
The facility would be built at the site of the A.B. Brown Generating Station near the Posey-Vanderburgh county line. The utility is planning to retire two coal-fired units at the site in late 2023 and says the new turbines would compensate for the loss by generating a combined 460 megawatts of electricity.
CenterPoint has filed an application for the project with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. If approved, construction could begin in the second half of 2022 with the turbines expected to be operational in 2024.
“The retirement of our smaller, inefficient coal units and adding the natural gas combustion turbines will continue to reduce our emissions and maintain our focus on the environment while providing our customers a cost-effective option for delivering safe and reliable energy,” Steve Greenley, senior vice president of generation development, said in a news release.
The utility says the IURC filing will have no immediate impact on residential electric bills. However it will seek to recoup costs through an electric rate review process in 2023, if the project is approved.