Vistra Energy’s Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Texas starts commercial operation

Texas-based Vistra Energy has started commercial operations of its 180MW Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in West Texas.

Claimed to be the largest operating solar facility in Texas, Upton 2 power plant is located on nearly 1,900 acres of land.

It consists of 718,000 PV solar panels and can cater to the power requirements of nearly 56,700 homes in the ERCOT market during normal weather conditions and 27,700 during periods of high demand.

It serves as a platform for battery storage development and implementation.

Luminant, the power generating subsidiary of Vistra, owns the Upton 2 plant. It serves as the qualified scheduling organisation with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT).

Last May, Vistra announced the purchase of Upton2 even when the project was under development.

Vistra president and chief executive officer Curt Morgan said: “When we announced the project a year ago, we did so knowing that Upton 2 was the perfect fit for Vistra’s integrated business model.

“Through this project, we’re enabling our Texas retail brand, TXU Energy, to enhance its retail solar offerings, and we’re diversifying Luminant’s generation fleet, as well. This project makes strategic sense for us as a business, and we’re excited that it is officially powering Texas in time for the 2018 summer.”

Vistra operates in 12 states  and employs nearly 6,000 people through its retail and generation businesses which include TXU Energy, Homefield Energy, Dynegy, and Luminant.

Vistra’s retail brands cater to nearly 2.9 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across five retail states. Its generation fleet totals around 41,000MW, featuring a portfolio of natural gas, nuclear, coal, and solar facilities.