Federal, state permits give LCRA green light on Ferguson plant replacement
HORSESHOE BAY — Plans to build a new Ferguson Power Plant reached another milestone with the approval of an air-emissions permit by state and federal environmental agencies, officials said.
Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recently authorized the permit for the Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant replacement project.
With regulatory approval in hand, the Lower Colorado River Authority is moving ahead to replace the 37-year-old plant with a new natural-gas plant.
The plant will use about 40 percent less fuel than the current plant when complete, according to LCRA officials.
“This new and efficient power plant will provide a safe and clean type of energy generation that will improve the Hill Country’s electric reliability,” LCRA board member Vernon E. "Buddy" Schrader said.
Schrader lives in Horseshoe Bay.
The new plant could cost more than $500 million, LCRA officials have said.