U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plants Prep for Maintenance Outages

Written by Will Ploch, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

NextEra, Vistra and LS Power are just a few of the companies preparing for maintenance outages at their U.S.-based gas-fired power plants in the first quarter of 2026.

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Florida, Texas Lead in Planned Outages

The U.S. natural gas-fired power sector is wrestling with both short-term and long-term bursts in demand, as a recent onset of winter weather only added to the years of growth in power consumption expected from data centers. These trends highlight the necessity of keeping power plants in the best possible shape. Industrial Info is tracking more than 120 maintenance-related projects at natural gas-fired power plants across the U.S. that are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2026, about half of which are in the South.

Florida accounts for more investment in maintenance outages at gas-fired plants in the first quarter than any other U.S. state. Most are managed by Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Incorporated (Juno Beach, Florida). Four of these are within the 120-mile stretch from Vero Beach to Fort Lauderdale, on the southeastern coast; subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more--including contractors involved, investment values and necessary equipment--from detailed project reports:

• the 1,421-megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired, combined-cycle (NGCC) Block 3 at the West County Energy Center in Loxahatchee; see project report
• the 250-MW NGCC Unit 5 at the Next Generation Clean Energy Center in Port Everglades; see project report
• the 204-MW NGCC Unit 3 at the Martin County Power Station in Indiantown; see project report
• the 1,723-MW NGCC Block 1 at the Clean Energy Center in Okeechobee; see project report

"Nobody has built more gas-fired generation in this country in the last 20 years than NextEra," said John Ketchum, the chief executive officer of NextEra, in a recent quarterly earnings-related conference call. "We have roughly a 20-gigawatt pipeline already developed, because of that development platform and the efficiency that's built into it. And we're excited about what we're seeing on the combined-cycle side and some of the opportunities that we have."

Texas narrowly trails Florida in its total investment in first-quarter maintenance outages, with Vistra Energy Corporation (Irving, Texas) and Calpine Corporation (Houston, Texas) together accounting for about half of the state's total project count. Vistra's outages, which are concentrated in the eastern half of the state, include:

• the 418-MW NGCC Block 28 at the power station in Ennis; see project report
• the 260-MW Unit 3 at the merchant power station in Midlothian; see project report
• the 242-MW Unit 1 at the Hays Energy Power Station in San Marcos; see project report
• the 1,112-MW NGCC Block 1 at the Lamar Energy Center in Paris; see project report

James Burke, the chief executive officer of Vistra, said in a recent earnings call that a well-maintained gas-fired fleet is necessary to address ongoing trends in the industry: "Growing consumption should efficiently drive existing assets to higher utilization levels over time, potentially reaching rates in the mid-80% range for combined-cycle gas plants. This is evidence that there is capacity currently on the grid capable of meeting the load growth anticipated over the next three to five years."

By the Numbers

• More than 120: Maintenance projects at U.S. gas-fired power plants that are set to begin in the first quarter of 2026
• 14: The number of first-quarter maintenance kickoffs found in both Florida and Texas, the most for any state
• 110: The number of first-quarter maintenance kickoffs not expected to exceed two months

Some Programs Run into Fourth Quarter

While 110 of the first quarter's more than 120 gas-fired maintenance kickoffs are not expected to exceed two months, a few are expected to wrap up in the fourth quarter of 2026. These projects typically are maintenance programs that involve more than a single outage, with the following outages set aside for later in the year. Riverside Generating LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power Development LLC (New York City, New York), is preparing for a total 60 days of outages on units 1 and 4 at its power station in Louisa, Kentucky, with the final outage expected to wrap in November.

Another LS subsidiary, Helix Generation LLC, is preparing for a total 22 days of maintenance on Block 1 at its Ironwood Power Station in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, with the final outage expected to wrap in October. Subscribers can learn more from detailed reports on the Kentucky and Pennsylvania projects.

The necessity for well-maintained gas-fired plants has been on display over the past week with the seemingly sudden onset of winter, which has translated into an uptick in demand for heating. For more information, see December 3, 2025, article - Gas Demand Rises on U.S. Winter Storm Activity.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of reports for maintenance-related projects at U.S.-based gas-fired power plants that are set to kick off in the first quarter of 2026.

Key Takeaways

• A well-maintained gas-fired fleet is necessary to address ongoing trends in the industry.
• Some maintenance-related programs are not expected to wrap up until the fourth quarter of 2026.
• The sudden onset of winter is driving demand for gas-fired heating across the U.S.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).