U.S., Canadian Natural Gas-Fired Plants Plot Maintenance in Tight Market

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Despite soaring prices, the consumption of natural gas in the U.S. and Canadian electric power sectors has remained high throughout 2022. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates the consumption of natural gas in the U.S. electric power sector will average 900 million cubic feet per day more this year than in 2021, albeit with demand continuing to outpace production. North American processors of gas for energy generation and other purposes will need to keep their facilities in the best working order amid the ongoing energy crunch. Industrial Info is tracking about 100 maintenance-related projects at U.S. and Canadian natural gas-fired units that are set to kick off in the third quarter.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top parent companies for U.S. and Canadian gas-fired maintenance projects set to begin from July through September.

Dominion Energy Incorporated (NYSE:D) (Richmond, Virginia) is investing more in maintenance-related projects for gas-fired units than any other company, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database. These units include the 676-megawatt (MW), natural gas-fired, combined-cycle (NGCC) Block 1 at the Columbia Energy Center in Gaston, South Carolina, and the 137-MW, NGCC Unit 4 at the Gordonsville Energy Center in Gordonsville, Virginia. Subscribers to the GMI Project Database can read detailed reports on the Columbia and Gordonsville projects.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners LP (NYSE:BIP) (Toronto, Ontario) accounts for the highest number of gas-unit maintenance projects of any North American company in the third quarter. All five projects are based in the gas fields of British Columbia. NorthRiver Midstream Incorporated, a Brookfield subsidiary, is planning turnarounds at its 250 million-standard-cubic-foot-per-day processing plant in Dawson Creek; its Jedney I and Jedney II sour gas-processing plants in Peace River, each of which has a capacity of 160 million standard cubic feet per day; and its 58.5-MW Unit 2 at its McMahon Cogeneration Plant in Taylor.

NorthRiver also is working with Enbridge Incorporated (NYSE:ENB) (Calgary, Alberta) on a turnaround at the 150 million-standard-cubic-foot-per-day Tupper West gas-processing plant near Dawson Creek. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Dawson Creek, Jedney I, Jedney II, McMahon and Tupper West projects.

"Our utility operations play a vital role in the transportation and distribution of natural gas to residential and industrial customers," said Scott Peak, the chief investment officer of Brookfield, in a recent quarterly earnings-related conference call. "In each of the countries we operate, energy regulators are advocating for energy security and diversification of supply that includes natural gas as a transition fuel and reliable source of baseload generation. The more limited investment in traditional energy supply, and the intermittency of renewable power have created more scarcity value for our assets."

Companies in the Pulp & Paper Industry frequently rely on natural gas to generate the heat and steam needed to process wood into pulp. International Paper Company (NYSE:IP) (Memphis, Tennessee) claims 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) is needed, on average, to produce 200 kilograms of paper--the average amount each North American consumes every year.

International Paper is set to perform maintenance on its Red River Pulp and Paper Mill in Campti, Louisiana, which includes a pair of gas-fired steam turbines that generate a total of 72 MW every year; and its New Bern Bleached Kraft Pulp Mill in Vanceboro, North Carolina, which generates 29.7 MW. Subscribers can read detailed reports on the Red River and New Bern projects.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a list of related plants.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of maintenance-related projects at U.S. and Canadian gas-fired facilities that are set to begin in the third quarter.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the world's leading provider of market intelligence across the upstream, midstream and downstream energy markets and all other major industrial markets. IIR's Global Market Intelligence Platform (GMI) supports our end-users across their core businesses, and helps them connect trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated project opportunities. Follow IIR on: LinkedIn.