May 30 (Reuters) - U.S. energy firm Vistra (VST.N) New Tab, opens new tab on Thursday said it intends to add up to 2,000 megawatts of dispatchable, natural-gas-fueled power capacity in west, central, and north Texas to improve grid reliability.

Vistra said the company intends to build up to 860 MW of advanced simple-cycle peaker plants, used for backup generation during peak demand hours, to be located in west Texas to support growing demand in the region, including from the oil and gas industry.

The company would also re-power a retired coal plant as a gas-fueled one and upgrade existing gas plants to lift capacity.

Texas has faced power shortages in recent weeks due to fast population and economic growth, which has left generators struggling to keep pace with the rapid increase in load.

Vistra said it is planning to file a notice of intent to apply for the Texas Energy Fund for these new peakers on May 31.

The Texas A&M University System had also offered land it owns to set up peaker plants earlier this week and has requested interested companies to submit proposals by June 21.

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https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/vistra-plans-add-up-2000-mw-gas-fueled-power-capacity-texas-2024-05-30/