Natural Gas Power Generation

Tetra Tech supports the global demand for power by delivering planning, advisory, environmental, regulatory, engineering, and construction support services for clients throughout the natural gas power plant life cycle.

Over the past decade, Tetra Tech has supported more than 1,000 electric-power projects worldwide with full-lifecycle environmental, permitting, engineering, and construction services. We support the development, design, construction, operations, and decommissioning of convention power plants, upholding the highest safety and quality standards at every stage and managing the program from start to finish.

Our multidisciplinary services span the entire power plant life cycle, from extending asset life to planning redevelopment and operational compliance. Using our Leading with Science® approach, we combine national expertise with local presence to deliver sustainable, high-performance solutions.

New Facilities

Our team supports new facility development with due diligence, environmental critical issues assessments, technical evaluations, feasibility studies, red flag risk assessments, permitting, owners engineering (OE), independent engineering (IE), and compliance. Tetra Tech excels at defining and navigating complex permitting processes and cultivating substantial agency relationships, crafting site-specific engineering solutions that meet rigorous regulatory requirements. We have successfully completed international power projects ranging in size from five to 3,200 megawatts (MW).

Repowering and Retrofit Upgrades

As facilities transition from traditional coal-fired generation to natural gas or alternative fuels, Tetra Tech provides end-to-end support, from system component conversions and demolition of existing, ageing plants to design and construction of replacements. We are adept at helping clients build and implement a strategic plan to modernize, maximize, and future-proof existing plants, from swapping out old generation units to renewing facility sites. Tetra Tech is experienced in getting projects up and running despite their level of complexity, backed by a robust team of environmental consultants, permitting experts, and multidiscipline engineers.

Planning and Siting

As experts in strategic advisory planning, Tetra Tech supports the early planning phases—sometimes well before the type of power plant is identified. We work with our clients to help them select the best type of power plant, advising owners on the different types of power generation that will meet financial and technical goals.

Preliminary siting, conceptual site design, and feasibility studies
Critical issues analyses, due diligence, and strategic planning support
GIS application, constraint mapping, modeling, and data management
Regulatory permitting risk assessments
Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments
Energy performance modeling aerial imagery, remote sensing, and topography LiDAR surveying
Interconnection assessments, single line diagrams, and application support

Development and Permitting

We leverage a broad network of natural gas, generation, and power delivery experts to support clients get projects build ready. We’ve permitted more than 100 fossil fuel and biomass plants (13,000 MW) representing billions in capital investment.

Air permitting and emissions modeling
Surface and groundwater availability studies
Gas and fiber availability analyses
Natural and cultural resource studies (biological assessments, wetlands and waters, architectural history, and archeological)
Wastewater option feasibility evaluations
Geotechnical and geophysical surveying
Transportation studies
Visual assessment and acoustic analysis
Stakeholder outreach, public engagement, and expert testimony
Local land use permitting, state permitting and siting board certificates, and federal permits (NEPA)

Construction and Operations Management

With decades of experience, Tetra Tech is adept at helping deliver power plant projects that are managed effectively, efficiently, compliantly, and safely.

Civil, structural, electrical, mechanical, process systems, and instrumentation and controls
SCADA engineering, analysis, and detailed design
OE and IE operations, maintenance, waste management, and environmental engineering plan development (SWPPP, SPCC, WMP)
Ongoing regulatory permit compliance and environmental data management
Environmental mitigation plan implementation and performance monitoring
Facility decommissioning strategy and plan development
Environmental and technical due diligence assessments
Vegetation management plan development and site restoration implementation
Tax equity structuring and transaction support
Performance analytics, dashboards, predictive modeling, original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and repowering analysis

Natural Gas Power for Data Centers

Tetra Tech delivers end-to-end natural gas power solutions tailored for data centers that provide reliable, dispatchable capacity while enabling lower emissions and future decarbonization pathways. We optimize cost, schedule, and grid integration so facilities meet demanding uptime and growth requirements.

Feasibility, siting, and site selection analysis (pipeline, water, footprint)
Permitting, environmental compliance, and community engagement
Generator and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) sizing, technology selection, configuration, and integration (fuel cells, reciprocating engine gensets, gas turbines, linear generators)
Interconnection studies, utility negotiations, and market participation support
Plant engineering (simple cycle, combined cycle, HRSG)
Substation, transmission, and BESS design
Gas and fiber cable infrastructure evaluations
Emissions management, hydrogen‑blend readiness, and carbon‑capture planning
Lifecycle cost modeling, financing structures, and operations and management strategies
Grid services and resiliency design (ancillary services, islanding, fast ramp)
Phased scalability planning to match campus growth and demand