SUGAR LAND, Texas – Sugar Land city officials are exploring the development of a rapid-start natural gas power plant aimed at bolstering the Texas electricity grid. Mayor Joe Zimmerman emphasized that the primary goal of the project is to deliver clean and sustainable power, enhancing grid reliability.
The proposed site for the plant is near Highway 90, where the now-closed Central Prison Unit is located. This area is near neighborhoods like Telfair, Imperial, and New Territory, raising concerns among homeowners about potential risks associated with the plant’s operations.
Anna Lyoudis Zafiris, a long-time resident of New Territory, has been vocal about her apprehensions. She and other residents have organized protests against the proposal, emphasizing their commitment to advocating for community safety.
“Who wants who wants to live near a power plant? And we’ve invested heavily in our homes. These are our life savings,” Lyoudis Zafiris said.
In response to these concerns, Mayor Zimmerman reassured residents that if the project is approved, the self-enclosed facility will be designed to minimize visibility from the highway and will only operate upon request from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).
“This agreement would allow the city to reinvest in infrastructure, maintenance, and economic development opportunities,” he added in a statement to KPRC 2.
While the project is still in the preliminary stages, city officials have initiated a ground lease option agreement to conduct necessary studies and analyses, including environmental impact assessments. Should the project proceed, a long-term lease agreement will be presented to the city council for approval.
“We are very early in the process,” Zimmerman stated, assuring residents that the city is committed to maintaining an open dialogue. Community meetings are planned for early 2025, giving residents time to voice their concerns and receive updates on the project’s developments.
As the city navigates these discussions, residents like Zafiris remain vigilant.
“We’ve been taking away time from our homes and jobs to raise our voices, and we’re not done,” she warned, suggesting that legal action may be considered if their concerns are not adequately addressed.
“Absolutely sometimes words don’t matter. Lawsuits do. I hope it doesn’t come down to that,” Zafiris added.
Completion of the plant is not anticipated before 2028, pending further feasibility studies and community consultations, if approved.
City of Sugar Land full statement
“We are continuing to study the possibility of a rapid start power plant on eight acres just west of Sugar Land Regional Airport. The plant will offer ancillary assistance during outages, aiding quicker recovery after major events like hurricanes and winter storms.
The primary goal of this project is to deliver clean and sustainable power to the Texas grid, enhancing grid resiliency in Texas and the surrounding region. Adding capacity to the Texas grid and the surrounding region directly benefits our residents. A secondary benefit is the city is considering a revenue-sharing agreement with the developer. This agreement would allow the city to reinvest in infrastructure, maintenance and economic development opportunities that help maintain one of the state’s lowest tax rates while also providing the high level of services our residents expect.
The action City Council took on May 21 to approve a ground lease option agreement was done to grant access to conduct surveys, analysis, an interconnection study and an assessment that identified permits needed to ensure quality of life concerns such as air quality. Should the project proceed, a long-term lease agreement will be considered by City Council.
Should the project move forward, the self-enclosed plant will not be visible from the nearby highway and will operate only when requested by ERCOT, rather than running 24/7, typically during peak times between 4:30 and 8 p.m. Extensive permits will be required to ensure quality of life concerns are addressed, including emissions, noise levels and more. The city is in the early stages of planning. Should the project proceed, completion is not expected prior to 2028.
We are very early in the process. Much needs to occur. This is a public-private partnership project, and project financing is still being negotiated. Public tax dollars will not be used to fund the project.
We are always interested in having civil dialogue and addressing concerns with the community. We have been responding to questions from the community since the media announcement for the project and attended community meetings to talk about the project, answer questions and listen to concerns. We take community concerns seriously. We have a strong interest in scheduling more meetings with communities throughout the city starting in early 2025 as we have more details to share. This provides us time to finish the feasibility studies which will take most of this year to complete.”