Vistra to invest US$850m on nearly 1GW of solar and storage projects in Texas

September 30, 2020
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
The investment will see Vistra’s Upton 2 Solar and Energy Storage Facility in Texas increase solar capacity to 190MW. Image: Vistra.

Texas-based Vistra will develop nearly 1GW of solar and storage projects in the next two years as the utility plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

An investment of around US$850 million will see the construction of six solar parks and one storage facility, all located in the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) area.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

To help reach an interim target of a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2030, Vistra has also announced the planned retirement of 6.8GW of coal capacity by 2027, representing all of its generation subsidiaries' coal plants in Illinois and Ohio. Vistra and its subsidiaries have now decommissioned or announced the retirement of more than 19GW of generation from 23 coal and natural gas plants since 2010.

These developments mean the utility’s commitment to a low-to-no-carbon future “is unequivocal”, CEO Curt Morgan said. “Vistra's leadership on these issues will not impact our core mission to provide consumers with reliable, affordable and sustainable energy while lowering emissions.”

Despite the gains for solar, Vistra’s new climate report reveals that natural gas generation “will remain necessary for power system reliability over the next several decades”. The company said its gas fleet may be able to use hydrogen as a fuel in the future as the technology advances.

Including its newly announced solar and storage units and its 2.3GW Comanche Peak nuclear power plant, Vistra’s portfolio of zero-carbon power generation facilities will have a total capacity of 4GW when complete. The company is also evaluating additional solar and battery projects, including more than 1GW in Texas, more than 1GW in California and approximately 450MW in Illinois.

Spurred on by rising electricity consumption, Texas is an increasingly popular destination for new PV developments, with the Solar Energy Industries Association forecasting more than 4GW of capacity expected to be installed over the next five years. Recent months have seen the likes of Duke Energy, Enel Green Power and 174 Power Global switch on new PV plants in the Lone Star State.

Analysis from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis predicts new solar it set to push much of Texas’ coal-fired plants into retirement in the next few years. It sees upward of 70% of daytime coal-fired generation in ERCOT being at risk by 2022.

Read Next

October 22, 2025
US thin-film manufacturer First has revealed another transfer of its 45X manufacturing tax credits in a deal worth around US$750 million.
October 22, 2025
Abigail Ross Hopper, the president and CEO of US trade association the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), has decided to step down from her roles at the end of January 2026.
October 21, 2025
Cypress Creek Renewables has achieved financial close on its 75MW Sundance solar-plus-storage project in Elbert County, Colorado.
Premium
October 20, 2025
New data suggests the traditional assumptions behind hail stow modelling may be underestimating the likelihood of damage to a PV system.
October 20, 2025
New federal policies in the US will 'cloud' the country’s renewable energy sector, according to a webinar hosted by Wood Mackenzie.
October 20, 2025
Details of tariffs on US imports of polysilicon products may be announced as early as the end of this month, according to a note from investment bank Roth Capital.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
December 2, 2025
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 10, 2026
Frankfurt, Germany