ERCOT on Friday said it has approved NRG Energy’s plans to return its Gregory Power Partners cogeneration plant to mothballs in October. The plant, which returned to service in June for the first time since 2016, will be operated annually from June 1 through Sept. 30.

The Texas grid operator said it conducted a reliability analysis that determined the plant’s combined cycle units are not required to support system reliability during the portion of the year when they are mothballed.

Gregory Power Partners, a three-unit, 365-MW facility located outside Corpus Christi, was shut down in late 2016 when its cogeneration partner, Sherwin Alumina, filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations. The plant was built in 2002.

NRG said in May it was returning the plant before the summer months to provide “additional reliability to our customers.” (See NRG to Bring Back Gas Plant for Summer 2019.)

— Tom Kleckner