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News
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LCG, February 20, 2026--The EIA today issued an "in-brief analysis" that estimates U.S. power plant developers and operators plan to complete a record installation of 86 GW of new, utility-scale electric generating capacity that is connected to the U.S. power grid in 2026. Last year, 53 GW of new capacity was added to the grid, which was the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002. Thus the estimate of 86 GW of new capacity in 2026 is a whopping 33 GW greater than the year prior. It should be noted that over 20 GW of the 86 GW of new capacity this year is estimated to be completed in December.
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LCG, February 19, 2026--The EIA released an "in-brief analysis" today regarding the expected completion of the first, large-scale commercial enhanced geothermal system (EGS) in June 2026, and the significant growth potential for year-round, 24x7, carbon-free, renewable EGS power generation in the United States.
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Industry News
EIA Estimates Record U.S. Electric Generating Capacity Additions in 2026, with Solar in the Lead
LCG, February 20, 2026--The EIA today issued an "in-brief analysis" that estimates U.S. power plant developers and operators plan to complete a record installation of 86 GW of new, utility-scale electric generating capacity that is connected to the U.S. power grid in 2026. Last year, 53 GW of new capacity was added to the grid, which was the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002. Thus the estimate of 86 GW of new capacity in 2026 is a whopping 33 GW greater than the year prior. It should be noted that over 20 GW of the 86 GW of new capacity this year is estimated to be completed in December.
The planned 2026 capacity additions by resource types are: 51 percent solar (43.4 GW), 28 percent battery storage (24.3 GW), 14 percent wind (11.8 GW), 7 percent natural gas (6.3 GW), and 0.2 GW all other types. The estimates are from the EIA's latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report.
Utility-scale solar capacity additions of 43.4 GW in 2026 are estimated to significantly beat the 27.2 GW installed in 2025 and the prior record of 30.8 MW installed in 2024. More than half of the new utility-scale solar capacity is planned for four states: Texas (40 percent), Arizona (6 percent), California (6 percent), and Michigan (5 percent). The largest solar photovoltaic project planned to commence operations in 2026 is the Tehuacana Creek 1 Solar and BESS project in Texas, which will add 837 MW plus 418 MW in battery energy storage capacity.
Battery storage additions continue to rise, with 24 GW of utility-scale battery storage planned in 2026, compared with a record 15 GW added in 2025. Projects in three states account for more than three quarters of the 2026 battery storage capacity additions: 12.9 GW in Texas; 3.4 GW in California; and 3.2 GW in Arizona. Three of the four largest battery storage projects scheduled to come online in 2026 are in Texas: Lunis Creek BESS in Jackson, Texas, 621 MW; Clear Fork Creek Solar and BESS SLF in Wilson, Texas, 600 MW; Bellefield 2 Solar & Energy Storage Farm in Kern County, California, 500 MW; and Tehuacana Creek 1 Solar and BESS in Navarro County, Texas, 418 MW.
Annual U.S. wind capacity additions have slowed, after record additions of over 14 GW in both 2020 and 2021. Wind capacity additions may rise in 2026, with 11.8 GW planned, which is more than double the capacity added last year. In 2026, New Mexico, Texas, Illinois, and Wyoming combined will account for over half of the capacity additions. Two large offshore wind plants, the 800-MW Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts and the 715-MW Revolution Wind in Rhode Island are now planned to commence operations this year. The largest onshore wind project in the country, the 3,650-MW SunZia Wind project in New Mexico, is also expected to start commercial operations this year.
Natural gas project developers plan in 2026 to add 6.3 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity, with combined-cycle facilities accounting for 3.3 GW of additions and simple-cycle facilities accounting for 2.8 GW of additions. Over three quarters of the new natural gas capacity will be located across Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, and Florida. The two largest natural gas facilities scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2026 are the combined-cycle applications of 1,158-MW Orange County Advanced Power Station in Texas and the 900-MW Trumbull Energy Center in Ohio.
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UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
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UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
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UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
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PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
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