In this paper, we introduce an optimization strategy in order to comprehensively quantify the impact of
availability and maintenance notions during the early stages of synthesis and design of a new natural gas
combined cycle power plant. A detailed state-space approach is thoroughly discussed, where influence
of maintenance funds on each component’s repair rate is directly assessed.
In this context, analysis of the reliability characteristics of the system is centered at two designeradopted
parameters, which largely influence the obtained results: the number of components which
may fail independently at the same time, and the number of simultaneous failure/repair events.
Then, optimal solutions are evaluated as the availability-related parameters and the amount of
resources assigned for maintenance actions are varied across a wide range of feasible values, which
enable obtaining more accurate and detailed estimations of the expected economic performance for the
project when compared with traditional economic evaluation approaches.