U.S. and Canadian generating capacity narrowed by a net 784 MW in September, as 134 MW of new capacity started operating and 917 MW of capacity was permanently retired, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data.
Two generation units were brought online, while five units were retired. Energy storage accounted for 95.1%, or 127 MW, of completed capacity, while coal made up 74.9%, or 687 MW, of retired capacity.
Three new power plant units with a total capacity of 1,800 MW, all natural gas, were proposed in September.
Completed
The 127-MW Lancaster Battery Storage Project in Los Angeles County, Calif., was the larger of the completed units in September. The energy storage facility is owned by Lancaster Battery Storage LLC and holds a 15-year power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co., a subsidiary of PG&E Corp.
The 7-MW Rumford Solar Farm in Oxford County, Maine, was the only other addition for the month. The plant is owned by Nexamp Inc.
Announced
The 1,800-MW, three-unit, gas-powered CPV West Virginia Combined-Cycle Plant was the only announced project in September. It will be located in Doddridge, County, W.Va., and is owned by CPV Group LP's wholly owned subsidiary, Competitive Power Ventures Inc. The project will use carbon-capture technology and plans to take advantage of West Virginia's carbon sequestration initiatives and federal tax credits available under the Inflation Reduction Act. It has an estimated cost of $5.08 billion and an expected completion of December 2030.
Retired
Public Service Co. of New Mexico, a subsidiary of PNM Resources Inc. and the majority owner of the San Juan plant, retired the remaining 507-MW unit at the coal-fired facility in San Juan County, N.M. The plant is scheduled for demolition and the owner has shown interest in replacing the retired coal capacity with solar and energy storage resources.
Two units at Colorado Springs Utilities gas-powered Martin Drake Plant in El Paso County, Colo., with an aggregate capacity of 208 MW, were also shuttered. The original plant began operating in 1925 but the remaining two units that were retired, units 6 and 7, began operating in 1968 and 1974, respectively. They ran on coal until 2021 when Colorado Springs Utilities switched to natural gas.
AES Corp. retired the 180-MW unit at its AES Hawaii plant in Honolulu County, Hawaii, due to a plan by Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. utility Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc., which purchased the plant's output, to eliminate coal sources from its generation portfolio.
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