Nichols — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 3484
- Capacity
- 474.7 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Natural Gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Potter, TX
- Operating Since
- 1960
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Southwestern Public Service Co
- Parent Company
- Xcel Energy
- Annual Generation
- 1,728,508 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 41.4%
- Balancing Authority
- Southwest Power Pool
- ISO/RTO
- SPP
- NERC Region
- MRO
Nichols
OperatingNatural Gas
Ranked #83 of 313 Natural Gas plants in TX#500 of 2009 nationally
474.7 MW Natural Gas operating in Potter, TX — Southwest Power Pool
EIAGEMWD
474.7 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Natural Gas Steam Turbine
Technology
1960
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
35.2834, -101.7464
County
Potter, TX
Nearby Plants
- HarringtonNatural Gas1080 MW · 1.6 km
- Majestic II WindWind79.6 MW · 18.3 km
- PantexWind11.5 MW · 19.9 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Southwestern Public Service Co | Southwestern Public Service | — |
| Owner(s) | Southwestern Public Service Co | Xcel Energy | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
About
The Nichols plant is a 474.7 MW natural gas-fired power plant located in Potter County, Texas. The plant, which began operating in 1960, is owned by Xcel Energy and operated by Southwestern Public Service Co. It consists of three natural gas steam turbine generators. Nichols is located within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) balancing authority and the Midwest Reliability Organization (MRO) NERC region.
In the most recent year with available data, the plant generated 1,728,508 MWh, achieving a capacity factor of 41.4%. The installed cost of the plant was $328.24 per kW, according to FERC data. Nichols ranks as the 83rd largest power plant in Texas out of 144, and 503rd nationally out of 945 plants.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
MRO
Balancing Authority
Southwest Power Pool
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
90.0K MWh
Latest Month
1.7M MWh
Annual Generation
41.4%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$470/kW
Installed Cost
$19.9/MWh
Operating Cost
Southwestern Public Service Company
Reporting Utility
Annual Capital & Operating Expenses
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Nichols Switchyard · 230 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Operator
Xcel Energy
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
SPP
LMP Node
SPS.NICHOLS3
Pricing Hub
SPP South Hub
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Hazards·wildfire
Red Flag Warning: Cimarron; Texas; Beaver; Dallam; Sherman; Hansford; Ochiltree; Lipscomb; Hartley; Moore; Hutchinson;
Red Flag Warning issued March 21 at 12:30PM CDT until March 21 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Amarillo TX
NWS Amarillo TX (other)
NWS Amarillo TX·5 days ago
Hazards·wildfire
Red Flag Warning: Cimarron; Texas; Beaver; Dallam; Sherman; Hansford; Ochiltree; Lipscomb; Hartley; Moore; Hutchinson;
Red Flag Warning issued March 21 at 12:30PM CDT until March 22 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Amarillo TX
NWS Amarillo TX (other)
NWS Amarillo TX·5 days ago
Industry·corporate
The career that keeps Southeast Texas moving
Montgomery County Power Station control room operator Scott Nichols. Every time a refinery starts up, a hospital powers critical equipment...
Entergy·1 weeks ago
General
Q&A: College Station Mayor John Nichols talks growth, Texas A&M University partnerships
College Station Mayor John Nichols spoke with Community Impact on a broad range of topics, including what brought him to the area and how...
Community Impact | News·4 weeks ago
Last updated 2026-03-21
View all 10 articles