Addition strengthens MRP's flexible capacity portfolio as demand for dispatchable resources accelerates across the Western Interconnection

CHICAGO, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Middle River Power (MRP) today announced it has closed on the acquisition of Panoche Energy Center (Panoche), a fully contracted 427-megawatt (MW) natural gas generation facility located in Firebaugh, California, from an Ares Infrastructure Equity fund (Ares).

The acquisition builds on MRP's growing portfolio of flexible, reliable, and cleaner generation assets, following the additions of the 240 MW Midway-Sunset and 250 MW Brush facilities earlier this year. MRP expects to apply its hybridization strategy to Panoche, pairing efficient thermal capacity with storage to meet rising demand across multiple sectors, including utilities, data centers, and industrial offtakers.