Frontier Generating Station
Shiro, TX
The Frontier Generation Station is an 830-megawatt (MW), natural gas, combined-cycle electric generating station located near Shiro in Grimes County, Texas. Frontier consists of three General Electric (GE) Frame 7FA gas turbine generators, three heat recovery steam generators and one General Electric steam turbine.
At the time it was developed in the late 1990s, Frontier was one of the largest non-utility electric generation facilities in North America and one of the first plants able to dispatch power to multiple grids beyond the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Electricity had previously been transmitted in and out of ERCOT only through two expensive direct current (DC) interties. Frontier interconnects with ERCOT through CenterPoint Energy’s 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and with grids outside of ERCOT, in the Eastern Interconnected Grid, through Entergy’s 345-kV transmission line.
Frontier’s dual grid capability has been featured in Power Engineering magazine. In 2001, the plant was named Project ofthe Year by Power Engineering for the innovation. Frontier also has the ability to generate power using fuel oil.
830 MW
DGC Role
DGC Ownership
28%
Nominal Capacity
Ownership
Type:
Natural Gas, Combined-Cycle
Location:
17500 Hwy 30 Shiro, TX 77876
Commercial Operation Date:
2000