According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average size of domestic gas-fired CCGT power units has increased significantly over the last decade, from 500 MW over the 2012-2014 period to an average of 820 MW in 2017. Not only have blocks increased in size but also gained in performance as the technology has continued to improve. The current and forecast gas prices also provide them a competitive advantage against several other power generation sources and technologies.
A significant portion of the existing installed CCGT capacity comes from power units that have capacities ranging between 600 MW and 700 MW and 2/3 of the CCGT power blocks installed in 2017 were 600 MW or higher. The trend towards larger units can mainly be attributed by the efficiency gains thanks to diminished heat rates and also because they have lower per-unit capital costs, making investments more attractive.
However, the EIA also estimates that smaller units still play an important role in providing power since they have lower minimum loads. They are usually associated with greater flexibility because they can deliver electricity through low demand periods without having to be shut down.
Interested in Global Energy Research?
Enerdata's premium online information service provides up-to-date market reports on 110+ countries. The reports include valuable market data and analysis as well as a daily newsfeed, curated by our energy analysts, on the oil, gas, coal and power markets.
This user-friendly tool gives you the essentials about the domestic markets of your concern, including market structure, organisation, actors, projects and business perspectives.