A consortium of Bechtel Power Corporation and Siemens Energy, Inc. built Panda Temple I and Panda Temple II, two 758-megawatt combined-cycle power plants fueled by clean-burning natural gas.
Bechtel was responsible for project management, engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the twin Temple, plants in Texas.
The Bechtel-Siemens consortium also designed and built the Panda Sherman Generating Station, another 758-megawatt natural gas-fueled combined-cycle plant, an hour’s drive north of Dallas. Groundbreaking for Temple I took place in September 2012. Temple I began commercial operation in 2014 and Temple II in 2015.
The two facilities are strategically sited along the Texas half of the Interstate 35 corridor, one of the 10 most concentrated, and rapidly growing, population centers in the United States. Approximately 45 percent of Texas’ 21 million citizens live within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of Interstate 35.
The Panda Temple facilities are among the cleanest, natural gas-fueled combined-cycle power plants in the United States. These zero-discharge plants also rely heavily on recycled water.
Fast facts
According to Panda Power Funds, Temple I and II will:
- Contribute about $1.6 billion to the area’s economy during construction and the plant’s first 10 years of operation
- Utilize the latest, most advanced emissions-control technology, making it one of the cleanest natural gas-fueled power plants in the United States
- Provide higher power output during high-temperature conditions, making the plant ideal for hot summers in the Lone Star state
- Generate 700 - 800 jobs at peak construction
