The paper focuses on the optimal operation of combined wind and thermal power plant systems to minimize total fossil fuel costs (TFFC) using three methods: Antlion Algorithm (ALA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Cuckoo Search Algorithm (CSA). Results show that CSA outperforms ALA and PSO in minimizing TFFC and achieving faster search processes across two case studies involving eleven plants. The study highlights the integration of multiple fuel sources and valve loading effects in thermal plants for more effective energy generation.