EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

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.

Read more

Enhanced Geothermal Systems May Drive Significant Growth in Geothermal Power Generation

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.

Read more

Industry News

Reliant Resources Says Trades Were Fake

LCG, May 14, 2002--The power producer and trader Reliant Resources Inc. (RRI) announced yesterday that it had increased the volume of its electricity trading through artificial transactions with other companies over three years.

The trades, which involved reciprocal sales of energy between Reliant and other parties, such as CMS Energy, in Dearborn, Michigan, may have inflated power prices by creating the appearance of a fluid market. Last year, twenty percent of RRI's trades were said by the company to have been transacted purely to increase the appearance of volume. The reaction to the news by industry analysts and energy companies is such that the practice appears to have been common knowledge. Last week, Dynegy revealed that it had been involved in what it termed "in-and-out" trades with CMS Energy, prompting further losses in Dynegy's stock price.

The trades conducted by both companies could have brought them more trading partners through online trading systems, but according to Thomas J. Erickson, a commissioner with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, "there's nothing illegal per se. And they're not inherently bad things." Gordon Howard, an analyst with Credit Lyonnais in New York, said, "if a company is long power and power costs $50 a megawatt, and it does a trade for $53, then it increases the price out there. The concern is that you can take it to that next level. Can you take trades like this and make a case that these companies manipulated the market?"

Compared with the daily trading volumes for energy seen one year ago, this year's trade volumes through May 10 are up 40 percent.
Copyright © 2026 LCG Consulting. All rights reserved. Terms and Copyright
UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
Uniform Storage Model
A Battery Simulation Model
UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
CAISO CRR Auctions
Monthly Price and Congestion Forecasting Service