Southern chief executive Thomas A. Fanning says the Nacogdoches Generating Facility is the largest biomass-fueled power plant in the US.

“The plant provides jobs and economic impact for Nacogdoches County, and further diversifies the fuel portfolios of Austin Energy and Southern Company to strengthen our nation's energy independence," he says.

Southern, a holding company whose subsidiaries are major suppliers of electricity in the southeastern US, says the Texas biomass project represents a capital investment of about $500m.