en.Wedoany.com Reported - Several U.S. utilities have recently announced significant progress on multiple large natural gas combined cycle power generation projects, including Duke Energy, Evergy, and a joint venture between Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper, with a total planned capacity exceeding 3.3 gigawatts. This move reflects a shift in the U.S. power industry from a new capacity mix dominated by renewable energy in past years toward the development of large-scale dispatchable generation projects to meet continuously rising electricity demand.Duke Energy has held a groundbreaking ceremony in Vermillion County, Indiana, for its Cayuga Energy Complex project. The company will build two combined cycle natural gas units adjacent to the existing Cayuga Generating Station, adding 470 megawatts of new capacity and bringing the site's total generating capability to 1,476 megawatts. Duke Energy stated that the combined cycle configuration will improve efficiency and extract more energy from the fuel by capturing waste heat from the gas turbines to drive a steam turbine. The existing Cayuga station is the oldest coal-fired power plant in Duke Energy Indiana's fleet, having operated for nearly 60 years. The company noted that the project aims to meet Indiana's growing electricity demand; since its last major power plant entered service in 2013, Duke Energy has added over 135,000 customers in the state, with continued growth in manufacturing and industry statewide. Construction activities have already begun, including site grading and underground piping installation. The first new unit is expected to enter service in 2029, with the second planned for 2030. Duke Energy also disclosed that, under a settlement agreement with Reliable Energy, it is exploring the possibility of selling the existing Cayuga coal-fired units to a third party.

Evergy has officially started construction on the 710-megawatt Chisholm Trail Energy Center in Sumner County, Kansas. This combined cycle facility, expected to be operational by 2029, is the first baseload power plant added to Evergy's Kansas generation fleet in over four decades. The project is one of two combined cycle plants announced by Evergy in 2024, with the other planned for Reno County and expected to enter service in 2030. Evergy stated that as customer demand and economic development activities continue to grow within its service territory, it anticipates adding over 4,000 megawatts of generation capacity over the next seven years. The utility describes this facility as a complement to renewable energy, noting the plant is designed to adjust its output based on variations in wind and solar generation. The project will use Mitsubishi Power M501JAC gas turbines and heat recovery steam generators supplied by Nooter Eriksen, with Kiewit serving as the construction contractor. Evergy added that the plant will use less than 1% of the water consumed by a traditional combustion plant.

Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper have received approval from the South Carolina Public Service Commission to jointly build Canadys Station, a proposed 2,200-megawatt combined cycle natural gas generation facility in Colleton County, South Carolina. The project will be built on the site of a former Dominion coal-fired power plant located about 40 miles northwest of Charleston. The two utilities stated that the plant will generate enough electricity to power more than one million homes while employing advanced environmental protection measures and modern combined cycle technology. By redeveloping an existing coal plant site, the project can utilize existing transmission infrastructure and avoid clearing large amounts of undeveloped land. The two utilities noted that the site is strategically located to connect to existing and planned transmission lines in the Lowcountry region. The project still requires additional regulatory approvals before construction can begin.

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