Natural Gas Cost vs. National Average

Pass — 65.1% of U.S. average — TX $2.93/MMBtu vs U.S. $4.5/MMBtu (YTD Jan–Jul 2026)
Criteria: Natural gas cost for the Electric Power Sector at the site’s state (TX) compared to the U.S. national average. Pass: ≤100% of U.S. average. Fail: >100%.
Geoforge curated dataset · 2025-01-01
National Cost Index
65.1% Below Average
of U.S. average · January–July 2026
Texas Delivered Cost
$2.93/MMBtu
Electric Power Sector · YTD Jan–Jul 2026
U.S. Average
$4.50/MMBtu
Electric Power Sector · YTD Jan–Jul 2026
Discount to National Avg
-34.9% $1.57/MMBtu savings
TX pays 34.9% less than the national average
Local NG Infrastructure
9 plants 1135 MW
31 generators within 25 mi

Summary

EIA Price Comparison — Electric Power Sector (USD/MMBtu)

Period TX U.S. Index Difference
YTD Jan–Jul 2026 $2.93 $4.50 65.1% −$1.57
Jul 2026 $2.64 $3.37 78.3% −$0.73
YTD Jan–Jul 2025 $3.29 $4.10 80.2% −$0.81

Delivered NG Cost (USD/MMBtu)

National Cost Index (% of U.S. Avg)

Gas-Fired Power Plants Within 25 Miles

# Plant Operator MW Units Location Dist (mi)
1 Tres City Power LLC Tres Power Victoria LLC 100.0 2 Victoria, TX 2.9
2 Victoria Victoria WLE, LP 376.9 2 Victoria, TX 3.1
3 OTHERCitizensHospital Texas Microgrid, LLC 2.8 7 Victoria, TX 3.9
4 Victoria Port II Victoria Port Power II 100.0 2 Victoria, TX 4.3
5 Tres Port Power, LLC Tres Power Victoria LLC 100.0 2 Victoria, TX 4.5
6 Victoria Texas Plant Invista 102.4 1 Victoria, TX 5.7
7 HEB00092 Texas Microgrid, LLC 1.6 4 Victoria, TX 6.7
8 Sam Rayburn South Texas Electric Coop, Inc 189.6 4 Victoria, TX 13.6
9 Union Carbide Seadrift Cogen Union Carbide Corp-Seadrift 162.0 7 Calhoun, TX 21.0

Texas natural gas delivered to the electric power sector averages $2.93/MMBtu year-to-date (January–July 2026), representing a National Cost Index of 65.1% — well below the 100% pass threshold. This means Texas gas costs are 34.9% below the U.S. national average of $4.50/MMBtu, translating to a $1.57/MMBtu discount. The favorable pricing reflects Texas’s proximity to prolific Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale production, and its position within ERCOT where intrastate gas transport avoids FERC-jurisdictional interstate pipeline tariffs.

The July 2026 monthly snapshot shows an even wider discount (78.3% index, $2.64 vs $3.37/MMBtu), consistent with summer shoulder-period pricing. The prior-year YTD comparison (Jan–Jul 2025) showed a similar advantage at 80.2%, indicating that Texas’s gas cost advantage is structural, not seasonal.

Nine gas-fired power plants totaling 1,135 MW of nameplate capacity operate within 25 miles of the site, confirming robust gas infrastructure and active gas-burn generation in Victoria County and adjacent Calhoun County. The nearest plant, Tres City Power LLC, is 2.9 miles from the site.

Next Steps

Measurement: WGS 84 / UTM zone 14N (EPSG:32614), utm

Sources