Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- With the growth of data centers and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the United States, demand is rising for dispatchable power generation. Natural gas-fired power plant owners are keeping tabs on maintenance to ensure their facilities can combat peak power demand when needed. Industrial Info is tracking more than 115 maintenance-related projects at U.S. gas-fired power plants, with 43 set to kick off in the fourth quarter, most of which are set to begin in October.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 parent companies for maintenance-related projects at U.S. gas-fired power plants that are scheduled to begin from October through December.

Vistra Energy Corporation (NYSE:VST) (Irving, Texas) leads all other power-generation developers in fourth-quarter maintenance investment, led by a trio of outages in Texas:

• The 947-megawatt (MW) Natural-Gas Combined-Cycle (NGCC) Block No. 2 at its station in Forney
• The 230-MW heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG) Unit 2 at the Wise County Power Station in Poolville
• The 187-MW Unit 1 at the Odessa-Ector Power Station in Odessa

Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can read detailed reports on the Forney, Poolville, and Odessa projects.

In a recent quarterly earnings-related conference call, Jim Burke, the chief executive officer of Vistra, said natural gas-fired power generation continues to be appealing to consumers amid increased calls for renewable and nuclear sources: "The gas assets provide reliability. They provide the opportunity to potentially be grid-connected, in some cases, and use the renewables that are on the grid to optimize price for the customer."

Vistra's grip on its broader power-generation portfolio strengthened recently, following its decision to purchase full ownership of Vistra Vision LLC, a subsidiary that owns nuclear, energy-storage, and solar assets. For more information, see the September 20, 2024, article - Vistra to Gain Full Ownership of Power-Generation Assets.

Calpine Corporation (Houston, Texas), which only narrowly trails Vistra in its investment in fourth-quarter maintenance, also is sprucing up some of its Texas facilities:

• The 933-MW Block 1 at its cogeneration plant in Baytown
• The 750-MW Unit 1 at the Magic Valley Generating Station in Edinburg
• The 371-MW Block 2 at the Guadalupe Generating Station in New Braunfels

Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Baytown, Edinburg, and New Braunfels projects.

Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, Calpine calls itself "America's premier privately held competitive power company." However, it is considering a sale, according to Reuters, with multinational energy company RWE AG (Essen, Germany) reportedly eyeing a minority stake. For more information, see the August 15, 2024, article - RWE Touts Strong U.S. Renewable Growth Outlook, Eyes Calpine.

American Electric Power Company Incorporated (NASDAQ:AEP) (AEP) (Columbus, Ohio) and Southern Company (NYSE:SO) (Atlanta, Georgia) are tied in third place for fourth-quarter maintenance, each with projects lined up in southern states.

In its home state of Georgia, Southern Company is preparing for three outages:

• The 619-MW NGCC Block 07 at its Wansley Power Station in Franklin
• The cumulative 154-MW Units 1 and 2 at its Dahlberg Power Station in Nicholson
• The 85-MW Unit 2 at the Robins Peaking Station in Warner Robins

Each is expected to kick off in October and run from 21 to 30 days. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the projects in Franklin, Nicholson, and Warner Robins.

AEP's shutdowns across the U.S. South include two of longer durations: a three-to-four-week outage at the 624-MW NGCC Block 6 at Arsenal Hill Power Station in Shreveport, Louisiana, and a 90-day outage at the 280-MW Unit 1 at the Big Sandy Power Station in Louisa, Kentucky. It also is preparing for a 30-day outage at the 290-MW NGCC Unit 1 at the Comanche Power Station in Lawton, Oklahoma. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the projects in Shreveport, Louisa, and Lawton.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for maintenance-related projects at U.S. gas-fired power plants that are set to kick off in the fourth quarter.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has been providing comprehensive information on the Power, Oil & Gas, Chemical Processing, Metals & Minerals, and Pharmaceutical & Biotech industries, as well as other industrial sectors. To learn more, visit www.industrialinfo.com.