pwr_february-2025 - 4

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE
The Evolving State of
Power Plant O&M
As power plants confront aging infrastructure, surging demand, and the sweeping
changes of rapid electrification, operations and maintenance (O&M) are being
redefined to tackle unprecedented challenges and seize new opportunities.
Sonal Patel
I
n December 2025, the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation
(NERC), the region's designated electric
reliability organization, issued a sobering
assessment of the power sector's
outlook for the next decade. More than
half of North America may be at risk of
electricity shortages, it warned. The scenario
is exacerbated by the accelerated
retirements of 78 GW of aging, fossilfueled
capacity-with an additional 37
GW announced but not yet confirmed-
and sluggish progress on new resource
additions. Compounding the challenge,
power demand is projected to soar by
15% over the next decade, driven by
rapid electrification, industrial growth,
and the increasing energy needs of the
data-driven economy.
In this context, the region's existing
fleet will play an outsized role, underscoring
a role for their sound operations
and
maintenance
(O&M).
However,
NERC also flagged forced outages as
a critical and growing concern for the
power sector, noting that unplanned
outages caused by equipment failures,
insufficient maintenance, and resource
shortfalls pose significant reliability
risks, most prominently during extreme
weather events. Without robust O&M
practices, these issues could further undermine
the grid's ability to meet rising
demand, particularly as winter peaks begin
to outpace summer peaks. That has
exposed new vulnerabilities in resource
adequacy planning, it said.
But as experts told POWER, the
realm of O&M is itself rapidly evolving
to address new complexities and
expectations introduced by the rapid
transformation. As IHI Power Solutions
Director of Business Development Doug
Machon notes, O&M emerged historically
as a straightforward business
function managed internally by utilities
operating within regulated monopolies.
The realm began a shift in the 1990s, as
competition, introduced by electricity de4
regulation,
ushered in third-party O&M
services that offered basic maintenance,
compliance support, and operational
oversight. Today's landscape adds a
growing involvement from private equity
investors, a decline in long-term power
purchase agreements, and the rise of diversified
energy portfolios-including renewables,
distributed energy resources
(DERs), and hybrid configurations.
No longer limited to routine tasks,
modern O&M necessitates " a higher
level of expertise and innovation in plant
operations, " says Machon. The significant
shift has catalyzed " the development
of comprehensive O&M strategies
designed to maximize efficiency, reliability,
and profitability in an ever-changing
energy landscape. " Providers today are
expected to integrate advanced technologies,
foster flexible plant cultures,
and navigate stringent regulatory landscapes,
he notes. Essentially, O&M today
functions both as a critical lever for
optimizing
performance and enabling
grid reliability in an increasingly dynamic
energy environment, but it must also
simultaneously mitigate risks and seize
opportunities, he says.
Tackling New O&M Challenges
According to Ricardo Guerrero, general
manager for Global O&M at GE Vernova,
O&M advancement varies by region.
" It's different in every part of the world,
but I would say the main factor that is affecting
O&M services at this moment is
the penetration of renewables, " he says.
Plunging costs for renewables have ushered
in new operational demands for
traditional thermal power plants, including
combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT)
power plants, which were historically
designed as baseload workhorses. " Cycling
is a big issue, " Guerrero acknowledges.
" Cycling is associated with how
you are going to react, how you are going
to accommodate your team, how you
are going to accommodate your strategy,
your planning-everything associated to
www.powermag.com
Best Practices for
Maintenance in the
Evolving Power World
While power plant maintenance is a
cornerstone of reliable power generation,
designing and maintaining an effective
program will require careful
consideration of modern challenges
and strategies. Engineers at infrastructure
solutions firm Gannett Fleming offer
some pointers.
Understand Your Assets. Develop
a detailed asset register to categorize
and document critical assets, including
electrical, mechanical, and civil infrastructure.
Involve multidisciplinary
experts to ensure a comprehensive
understanding of maintenance needs.
Develop a Maintenance Strategy.
Balance reactive, preventive, and predictive
maintenance to address immediate
needs while minimizing future
risks. Document the rationale for each
maintenance task based on regulatory
requirements, manufacturer guidance,
and risk analysis.
Leverage Technology. Invest in a
computerized maintenance management
system (CMMS) like Maximo or
SAP CMMS to streamline scheduling,
documentation, and data analysis, ensuring
efficient resource allocation.
Stay Agile. Avoid static programs.
Continuously assess and adapt maintenance
strategies to reflect advancements
in technology, changes in asset
conditions, and best practices.
Prioritize Tasks. Prevent over-commitment
by ranking maintenance activities
based on risk to ensure critical
tasks are executed effectively.
Address Challenges Holistically.
Be wary of knee-jerk reactions to failures
and aim for balanced solutions
through root cause analysis and measured
troubleshooting.
Foster Collaboration. Streamline
decision-making by clearly defining
roles while incorporating input from
stakeholders to maintain agility in program
updates.
POWER | February 2025
http://www.powermag.com
pwr_february-2025

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