Duke Energy, Evergy, and Dominion Push 3.3 GW of Combined-Cycle Gas Projects Forward
According to Power Engineering, Duke Energy, Evergy, and a partnership between Dominion Energy and Santee Cooper have announced major milestones for combined-cycle natural gas generation projects totaling more than 3.3 gigawatts of planned capacity across Indiana, Kansas, and South Carolina.
Market Impact
The three projects represent some of the largest utility-scale generation investments currently underway in the central and southeastern United States. Duke Energy has broken ground on the Cayuga Energy Complex in Vermillion County, Indiana, where two combined-cycle units will add 470 MW of capacity adjacent to the existing Cayuga Generating Station, bringing the site’s total to 1,476 MW. The first unit is expected online in 2029, with the second following in 2030. Duke noted it has added more than 135,000 customers since its last major plant entered service in 2013, pointing to manufacturing and industrial growth as key demand drivers. Construction activity is already underway, including site grading and underground piping installation.
In Kansas, Evergy has begun construction on the 710 MW Chisholm Trail Energy Center in Sumner County, with a targeted 2029 in-service date. The company describes it as the first new baseload plant added to its Kansas fleet in more than four decades. A second Evergy combined-cycle facility, planned for Reno County, is expected online in 2030. Evergy projects adding more than 4,000 MW of generation across its territory over the next seven years.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Civil and site work is already active at Cayuga, with grading and underground piping underway. Mechanical and electrical scopes will follow as structural steel and turbine installation ramp up through 2027 and 2028.
- The 2029 and 2030 in-service targets across Indiana and Kansas mean competitive bidding windows for subcontractors are likely opening now. Field service companies should begin tracking procurement timelines with Duke and Evergy directly.
- Evergy’s stated plan to add 4,000 MW over seven years signals this is not a one-off buildout. Subcontractors who establish relationships on Chisholm Trail and the Reno County project position themselves for a sustained pipeline of work.
- Combined-cycle plants require specialized mechanical crews familiar with heat recovery steam generators and steam turbine integration. Firms with that capability should be actively marketing to EPC contractors already awarded or bidding on these projects.
