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Kerrville Public Utility Board (KPUB) celebrated breaking ground on a new natural gas power generation plant with over a hundred community members from Kerrville, Colorado County and more, Friday, April 17, off Highway 90 Alternate in Garwood.
Owned by Kerrville, KPUB services over 24,000 customers across the city, Center Point, Ingram, Hunt and surrounding areas in Kerr County. The plant will strategically generate power during high demand and prices and allow KPUB to purchase lower- cost power under favorable market prices. KPUB’s General Manager and CEO Mike Witter said providing the lowest responsible price for utility services was the project’s driving factor.
“As we’ve looked into the future, we’ve had to navigate an increasingly complex and volatile energy market,” Witter said. “Controlling costs for our customers requires us to be proactive, and this project is a key part of that.”
The company chose Colorado County to build its newest power generation plant due to access to natural gas sources that Kerrville lacks, existing infrastructure from the neighboring plant operated by KPUB’s partner Sky Global and the proximity to the state’s four major natural gas pipelines.
“Simply put, this plant will run more here than it would in Kerrville because it’s needed more here,” Witter said. “It will be called on more often, which means it will generate more value for both our customers and for the broader Texas grid than it would if it were located in Kerrville.”
Powered by natural gasfired reciprocating internal combustion engines, the plant can be turned on quickly, not rely on other power sources and operate during extreme weather conditions. KPUB’s plant will be modeled after the Sky Global plant, which reached 99.6% availability during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and the resulting mass statewide outages.
“This facility is designed to be clean, efficient and reliable,” Witter said. “It uses fast start technology that allows it to respond quickly when the grid needs support. And importantly, it uses minimal water, which we know is an important consideration in any community.”
Witter said the KPUB is committed to being a good neighbor, transparent and reflective of community values. KPUB set June 2027 as the target date for commercial operations. Columbus Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shelley Janik welcomed KPUB during opening remarks.
“On behalf of the Columbus Chamber, we are excited for you,” Janik said. “We are excited to have you as our member to help us grow as a chamber and plus also support you in your new endeavor here.”
More information about the plant can be found at the website: www.kpub. com/power
