A major U.S. energy investment group announced the start of commercial operations for a 694-MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Louisiana. Blackstone said the Magnolia Power Generating Station is supported by private equity funds managed by Blackstone Energy Transition Partners.
Blackstone, through Kindle Energy—its North American power generation platform—began development of the project in 2021. Construction began in 2022. The plant is located in Plaquemine, just south of Baton Rouge. Kindle Energy, based in Princeton, New Jersey, was a major participant in POWER’s Experience POWER event in Denver, Colorado, last year. The company has about 11 GW of power generation capacity across several states.
The companies on February 26 said the Magnolia facility is the first hydrogen-capable, advanced-class generator plant in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) South territory. Louisiana officials said the plant will provide electricity directly to five rural utility cooperatives across the state.
POWER is at the forefront of coverage for natural gas-fired power generation across the U.S. and the world. Read more from our archives at powermag.com.
Officials said the Magnolia station includes a GE 7HA.03 gas turbine, a GE STF-A650 steam turbine, and a triple pressure with reheat Heat Recovery Steam Generator. GE’s Mark VIe control system provides turbine generator control, data collection and performance visibility.
Regional Economic Growth
“Blackstone is proud to invest in new energy supply generation needed to fuel economic growth and support rising power demand in the region,” said Bilal Khan, senior managing director at Blackstone. “We are excited to have backed this critical project, which has created hundreds of jobs and will help deliver more affordable, efficient and reliable electricity for Louisiana.”
Lee Davis, CEO of Kindle Energy, said, “This marks an important milestone for our company as we continue to build new, efficient power generation for our valued partners and customers in Louisiana, Colorado, and West Virginia. We look forward to our continued partnership with Blackstone to support rising energy needs in North America.”
“Magnolia Power Generating Station will help deliver affordable and reliable electricity to more than 500,000 homes while supporting hundreds of American jobs in Louisiana,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly.
Blackstone is a leading investor in power generation. Blackstone Energy Transition Partners has made recent investments in support of the Wolf Summit Energy Center, a 600-MW combined-cycle gas-fired power plant in Harrison County, West Virginia; Hill Top Energy Center, a 620-MW gas-fired facility in Western Pennsylvania; and Potomac Energy Center, a 774-MW gas-fired power plant in Loudoun County, Virginia. The company said it has invested in about 2 GW of U.S. power generation capacity across the past year.
Blackstone Energy Transition Partners is Blackstone’s strategy for control-oriented equity investments in energy-related businesses. The group has committed more than $27 billion of equity globally across a broad range of sectors within the energy industry. Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager, with about $1.3 trillion in assets under management worldwide.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
