Winter Storm Fern Causes Power Plant Outages

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Written by Jesse Broehl, Assistant Editor-in-Chief for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Following the peaking of Winter Storm Fern peaking across the U.S. on Sunday, IIR Energy confirmed minimal impacts across North America. This article summarizes, as of Tuesday afternoon, the power plants with confirmed outages either directly due to the weather or new outages overlapping with Winter Storm Fern. Subscribers to IIR Energy's Breaking Energy News (BEN) can also view an article that summarizes refinery impacts caused by the storm.

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Winter Storm Fern Power Plant Outages

At least six power plants were confirmed to have experienced outages since the inclement weather began, either due to mechanical issues or fuel-supply disruptions, or for other reasons. There likely are others that have not reported or been confirmed. It is also possible some of the noted outages below are not due to the weather, but nonetheless are compiled in this summary if the outage coincides during this period of adverse weather from Winter Storm Fern.

Birdsboro Power Station, 525-MW Outage in Pennsylvania

An equipment failure due to Winter Storm Fern was reported at the 525-megawatt (MW), gas-fired Birdsboro Power Station, in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania, roughly one hour's drive north of Philadelphia. The outage began on Sunday, and it could remain through Thursday. 28. Strategic Value Partners owns the plant. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Plant Database can view the plant profile.

Lieberman Power Station, 178-MW Reduced Capacity in Louisiana

178 MW was reported offline at the Lieberman Power Station in Mooringsport, Louisiana, in Southwest Power Pool territory. The natural gas-fired plant was running on Tuesday at reduced capacity (78% offline) due to a fuel supply issue. The units were expected to remain running at reduced capacity through Tuesday, but the duration could extend. The plant is owned by Southwestern Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of AEP.

D B Wilson Power Station, 509-MW Outage in Kentucky

The 509-MW, coal-fired DB Wilson Power Station in the MISO market southwest of Louisville, Kentucky, incurred a boiler leak on January 22, forcing the full unit offline. This outage is unlikely to be directly due to the weather, but it is reported in this compilation since every outage impacts an already strained grid.

Brunner Island Power Station, 363 MW in Pennsylvania

A boiler leak occurred at the 363-MW, gas-fired Unit 01 at the 1,558-MW Brunner Island Power Station in York Haven, Pennsylvania, taking that unit fully offline. That outage was estimated to run from January 25 to this Friday or beyond. Talen Energy owns the plant.

West Deptford Power Station, 755-MW Outage in New Jersey

The 755-MW West Deptford Power Station in West Deptford, New Jersey, had an unplanned outage due to electrical issues that took its natural gas-fired units offline. The event was estimated to be a two-day event running from January 25 to Monday, January 26, but could extend beyond. LS Power owns the plant.

Martin Lake Power Station, 793 MW Rescheduled in Texas

The 793-MW coal-fired Unit 01 at the 2,379-MW Martin Lake Power Station in Tatum, Texas, had been planned to be brought back online by January 24, but this was extended to Tuesday. This was not originally a weather-related issue, but rather a turbine fire on November 27, 2024, and work continued into this last week of January and experienced a delay in the work being done.

Key Takeaways

• A number of power plant outages were confirmed in Winter Storm Fern's path.
• At least six power plants were confirmed to have experienced outages since the inclement weather began.
• The outages were caused by mechanical issues, fuel-supply disruptions other reasons.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

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) 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 over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).