Gas

Oglethorpe Power to build two new natural gas projects in Georgia

Recent Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) indicate that U.S. utilities are planning for the largest increase in gas plants in over a decade.
Oglethorpe Power to build two new natural gas projects in Georgia

Citing the state’s continued growth, Oglethorpe Power and its 38 member cooperatives have approved the construction of two new natural gas-fired projects in Georgia.

Following successful permitting, the company plans to build a two-unit, 1,200 MW combined cycle plant in Monroe County. The facility would be on land already owned by Oglethorpe Power and adjacent to the Smarr Energy Facility, another gas-fired plant. Oglethorpe claimed the new addition would be the “highest-performing, lowest-emitting and most efficient natural gas plants in the state.” Total capital investment would be approximately $2 billion, the company reported.

In Talbot County, Oglethorpe would also build a simple-cycle combustion turbine unit at an existing plant. This new approximately 240 MW peaking unit, which would be the seventh at the Talbot Energy Facility, would have dual-fuel capability. The development of this new unit would represent a capital investment of approximately $360 million.

More details on the projects’ construction and timelines would be available after permits are received, Oglethorpe said.

Oglethorpe Power continues activity in Georgia, where it recently acquired Walton County Power, a 465 MW, three-unit combustion turbine generation facility in the city of Monroe. The facility was purchased from Mackinaw Power Holdings, an affiliate of the global investment firm, The Carlyle Group. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

U.S. natural gas-fired power generation is expected to grow faster than it has in years. Recent Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs) indicate that utilities are planning for the largest increase in gas plants in over a decade, with the years 2028 and 2030 expecting dramatic increases in renewable energy usage to balance and maintain grid reliability.

Tags