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A major industrial fire has burned through a section of the former P. H. Robinson Power Plant site in Bacliff, Texas, due to a fire that started November 16, 2025. The incident has drawn large emergency response teams from across Galveston and Brazoria counties and raised community concerns due to the size of the smoke plume and the site’s proximity to San Leon and the Galveston Bay shoreline. According to local reports, the fire began at approximately 2:30 a.m. inside a cluster of decommissioned water cooling towers located on a small artificial island within the former P. H. Robinson Power Plant property along Highway 146. Five cooling towers collapsed as the fire spread through dry structural materials, with the smoke plume visible for miles and detected on local radar.
Firefighters have confirmed that the incident did not involve the active natural gas peaking units on the property and did not affect the nearby proposed desalination facility footprint. The burn area was confined to the older infrastructure that predates current operations. A shelter-in-place advisory was temporarily issued for portions of San Leon due to smoke drift. Galveston County health officials later reported no significant hazardous air readings. No injuries were reported. The main flames were extinguished by Sunday evening, though crews monitored hot spots into the next day.
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas City Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause, but no ignition source has yet been identified.
Historical Background of the P. H. Robinson Power Plant
Original HL&P Steam Plant (1960s through 2000s)
Construction of the original power plant began in 1964 under Houston Lighting and Power Company. Known originally as the Bacliff Plant and later renamed the P. H. Robinson Plant, it consisted of four steam-powered generating units with a total capacity of approximately 2,200 MW. The facility included extensive water-cooling infrastructure, including cooling towers, intake channels, discharge canals, and a man-made island where part of the cooling system was placed.
The steam plant was gradually shuttered around 2003 as modern natural gas facilities became more cost-efficient. Official decommissioning followed, and major demolition took place between 2009 and 2012. Portions of the original cooling system, including the island structures involved in the 2025 fire, remained in place.
Known Past Incidents
Historical reporting shows at least one prior fire at the old facility. A Galveston County Daily News article from 2011 documented another significant blaze involving decommissioned structures. This confirms a pattern of fire risk associated with abandoned or partially demolished equipment at the former steam plant complex.
Development of the PHR Peakers Gas Turbine Facility
During the 2010s, a new natural gas peaking facility was developed on land adjacent to the demolished plant. Based on public energy records:
- NRG Energy began constructing the replacement peaker units around 2014.
- The facility uses six GE 7E simple-cycle combustion turbines.
- Each unit produces approximately 71 MW, for a combined output near 426 MW.
- Commercial operation began around mid-2018 under owners including NRG and later Rockland Capital.
Simple-cycle peaker units do not require the large water cooling structures used by steam generation. As a result, the old cooling-tower island was not incorporated into the current operational footprint. This is the same area that burned during the 2025 fire.
Redevelopment: Proposed Galveston Bay Desalination Plant
The property is undergoing phased redevelopment for a large desalination facility managed by EPCOR USA. According to the Houston Chronicle, the project is designed to deliver approximately 26 million gallons of potable water per day to the region once completed.
Officials clarified that the burned cooling-tower island is not within the current construction footprint. However, the fire underscores the need for remediation of aging industrial components unrelated to the desalination project.
Implications of the 2025 Bacliff Power Plant Fire
The incident highlights several risk factors associated with retired industrial facilities:
- Aging infrastructure such as unused cooling towers can remain flammable decades after decommissioning.
- Partial demolition and non-operational status often result in the absence of suppression systems.
- Proximity to residential communities like Bacliff and San Leon increases the need for rapid communication and public health monitoring.
- Redevelopment plans for former industrial sites must include thorough assessment and removal of high-risk structures.
Contact an Experienced Power Plant Injury Attorney in Houston
Thankfully, no one has been reported injured due to the the Bacliff power plant fire. However, the release of potentially toxic fumes and pattern of accidents raise concern for the wellbeing of local residents. Additionally, not every accident goes without immediate injury – our firm has represented emergency workers, laborers, and local residents harmed as a result of poor maintenance and bad operating conditions at refineries, power plants, and oil rigs.
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in a refinery or plant fire or explosion, contact The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian today at 713-714-1414, or fill out our online contact form.
