COLUMBUS — The Kerrville Public Utility Board broke ground Friday on a new reciprocating internal combustion engine power plant in Colorado County, a joint venture with Sky Global Partners that KPUB leaders say will help shield local ratepayers from a volatile Texas energy market.

The ceremony, held on the Colorado County prairie near Columbus, drew a busload of Kerrville dignitaries alongside local community leaders — a show of regional investment in a project located roughly 150 miles from the customers it’s designed to serve.

KPUB General Manager and CEO Mike Wittler framed the project around the utility’s core mission: delivering safe, reliable service at the “lowest responsible price.” The new plant, he said, is one tool for doing that in an increasingly unpredictable energy landscape.

Why Columbus, not Kerrville?

The Colorado County location wasn’t arbitrary. Wittler outlined three reasons the site made sense over a location closer to home.

First, access to natural gas. A major Kinder Morgan pipeline running from the Permian Basin to West Houston passes near the site — infrastructure Kerrville simply doesn’t have. Second, the new plant will be built directly adjacent to an existing Sky Global facility, Sky Global Power One, creating operational efficiencies for long-term management. Third, connecting to the grid where generation is most needed means the plant will run more frequently — generating more value both for KPUB customers and the broader Texas grid.

The technology

The plant will use fast-start reciprocating engines — essentially large-scale internal combustion engines that require minimal water and can respond quickly to fluctuating grid demands. Sky Global CEO Frank Rotondi pointed to their neighboring plant as proof of concept: during the catastrophic February 2021 winter storm that knocked out power across Texas, Sky Global Power One maintained more than 99% availability.

The project is funded in significant part through the Texas Energy Fund and is expected to come online by summer 2027.

The team

The project draws on a network of specialized partners. Sky Global serves as developer and long-term operations manager. Senergy is the design engineer. Summit Industrial is the primary construction contractor and is already mobilized on site. Everllence is manufacturing the generation equipment and will handle long-term operations and maintenance. Kinder Morgan supplies the fuel; the South Texas Electric Cooperative will handle main power line interconnections.

Community welcome

Columbus Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Shelley Janik formally welcomed the project to Colorado County. Kerrville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mindy Wendele made the trip with the Kerrville delegation and said she’s already looking forward to booking another bus for the ribbon-cutting.