[JoninATX]

Panda Power will now double in size

TEMPLE (April 4, 2013)—Dallas-based Panda Power Funds says it will double the size of the 758-megawatt natural-gas-fueled power plant it’s building in Temple, creating as many as 800 construction jobs.

The company announced Thursday it has completed financing on a 758-megawatt expansion of the plant.

The Temple I and Temple II generating stations will have a combined capacity of 1,516 megawatts, which the company says is enough power to supply the needs of about 1.5 million homes in Central and North Texas.

Panda broke ground on the plant in September.

The construction of a project on the scale of the Temple II plant will contribute about $1.6 billion to the area economy during construction and the first 10 years of the plants operation, according to a study by Impact Data Source of Austin.

“Approximately 700-800 jobs will be created to construct the Temple II plant at peak construction,” the company said in its announcement Thursday.

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