U.S. generating capacity expanded by a net 1,176 MW in March as 1,975 MW, including a 1,000-MW gas-fired plant in Louisiana, began operating and 799 MW, including the last operating coal-fired plant in New York, was permanently retired, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
Ten generation units were brought online, while six were taken offline. Natural gas accounted for half of the new capacity, and coal totaled most of what was retired. A 2,000-MW pumped storage hydro facility in Nevada was the only announced project.
Completed
The 1,000-MW Lake Charles Power Station in Calcasieu Parish, La., was the largest new capacity addition in March. The three-unit gas facility is owned by Entergy Corp. subsidiary Entergy Louisiana LLC. When announcing the plant's completion in March, Entergy Louisiana said it expects the Lake Charles Power Station to save customers between $1.3 billion and $2 billion over the plant's anticipated 30-year life.
The 240-MW Misae Project (Childress Solar Park) in Childress County, Texas, was the next-largest addition. The plant is jointly owned by Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners K/S and INGKA Holding BV, the owner of Swedish furniture store IKEA Holding US Inc., with ownership split at 51% and 49%. INGKA Holding acquired its 49% stake in the project in April as part of a broader purchase. INGKA Holding wants all of its retail stores to run solely on renewables by 2025.
Announced
The 2,000-MW Walker Lake Pumped Storage Project was the only announced project in March and was granted a preliminary permit by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on March 6. The project, to be located in Mineral County, Nev., is owned by Premium Energy Holding LLC, a California-based developer that has already proposed three other large pumped storage hydro facilities in the western U.S.
Retired
The 693-MW coal-fired Somerset ST plant in Niagara County, N.Y., also referred to as Kintigh, was the largest single unit to be retired during March. It was the last operating coal plant in New York. Following an ownership change in January, the facility is largely owned by two entities controlled by private individuals, Freyr Dataenergy Inc. and Mjolnir Energy Inc.
Four units at Exelon Corp. subsidiary Constellation Power Source Generation's gas-powered Notch Cliff facility in Baltimore County, Md., with an aggregate capacity of 64 MW were shut down. Four other units, with another 64 MW of capacity, are slated to be retired in June. The plant has been operating since June 1969.
