The load growth story across the country has moved to the top of many discussions as the artificial intelligence (AI) boom is going strong and data farms are popping in almost every balancing region across the country.  What is not being talked about as much is the simple fact that the uptick in natural gas prices has had an impact on the thermal stack allocation. Before we display some of the activity, let us first start by defining the thermal stack as it is comprised of two generation types of units; they are: gas-fired and coal generators.  Prior to the renewable transitions, the thermal stack battle was quite extensive as the units fought hard for market share while tracking the power demand profile that did not incorporate wind and/or solar netting.

Figure 1 | MISO Thermal Generation 12x24 Profiles