Kentucky, Illinois Lead U.S. in Maintenance Spending at Coal-Fired Power Plants in First Quarter

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--As coal-fired power plants continue to close across the U.S., those keeping their doors open are eyeing maintenance projects to ensure their units are functioning efficiently. A recent study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) found that coal-fired plants with higher-than-average operating and maintenance costs were more likely to have been among those retired over the past few years. Industrial Info is tracking 50 maintenance-related projects at coal-fired power plants across the U.S. that are set to begin in the first quarter of 2020.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 U.S. states for coal-fired plant maintenance projects that are set to kick off from January through March, by investment value.

Utilities in Kentucky--a major coal-mining state that has seen its economy hammered by the declining use of the resource--are spending more on first-quarter maintenance at coal-fired plants than those of any other U.S. state. Kentucky Utilities Company, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) (Allentown, Pennsylvania), is at the helm of three such projects: an estimated $35 million outage on Unit 4 at a power station in Ghent, which generates 556 megawatts (MW); an estimated $8 million outage on Unit 3 at the E.W. Brown Power Station in Harrodsburg, which generates 446 MW; and an estimated $1.5 million outage on Unit 1 at the Mill Creek Power Station in Louisville, which generates 356 MW.

Each of the outages from Kentucky Utilities is expected to kick off in March and run from two to eight weeks. Big Rivers Electric Corporation (Henderson, Kentucky), a member-owned cooperative, is preparing for an estimated $1 million outage on Unit 2 at the Robert D. Green Power Station in Robards, which generates 263 MW. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Ghent, Harrodsburg, Louisville and Robards projects.

Spending on coal-fired maintenance in the Bluegrass State is followed, somewhat distantly, by that in the Land of Lincoln. Vistra Energy Corporation (NYSE:VST) (Irving, Texas) announced earlier this year that it will close four coal-fired power plants in Illinois over the coming years, but spare four others; the latter group includes a power plant in Newton that is preparing for an estimated $8 million outage on Unit 1, which generates 567 MW from a tangential-fired dry-bottom boiler.

NRG Energy Incorporated (NYSE:NRG) (Princeton, New Jersey), the second-largest coal plant owner in Illinois and the only one in the northern areas of the state, is preparing for maintenance of its own: an estimated $9 million outage on Unit 4 at the Will County Power Station in Romeoville, which generates 598 MW, and an estimated $2.5 million outage on Unit 8 at a station in Waukegan, which generates 355 MW. NRG's coal-fired plants could face a rocky future, after the Illinois Pollution Control Board agreed with environmental groups earlier this year that NRG subsidiary Midwest Generation violated environmental rules at all four of its Illinois coal plants, according to Energy News Network.

Each of these maintenance projects in Illinois are expected to kick off in March and wrap up in April. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Newton, Romeoville and Waukegan projects.

Although it is not among the biggest spenders, Texas has more coal-fired maintenance projects set to kick off from January through March than any other state. Each outage is valued at less than $2 million: Xcel Energy Incorporated's (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Unit 3 at the Harrington Power Station in Amarillo, which generates 350 MW; NRG Energy's Unit 1 at the Limestone Electric Generating Station in Jewett, which generates 838 MW; San Miguel Electric Cooperative's (Jourdanton, Texas) Unit 1 at the San Miguel Power Station in Christine, which generates 410 MW; and CPS Energy's (San Antonio, Texas) Unit 2 at the J.K. Spruce Power Station in San Antonio, which generates 820 MW.

Each of the four outages is expected to kick off in March, and only the Amarillo project is expected to last into April. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Amarillo, Jewett, Christine and San Antonio projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.