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The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) issued an August 19 report titled:
U.S. Power Grid Added 20.2 GW of Generating Capacity in the First Half of 2024 (“Report”).
The source of the Report’s information is EIA’s Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory, June 2024.
Developers and power plant owners are stated to have added 20.2 gigawatts (“GW”) of utility-scale electric generating capacity in the United States in the first half of 2024. By comparison, the EIA reports that this new capacity is 3.6 GW (21%) more than the capacity added during the first six months of 2023.
EIA estimates that developers and owners are expected to add another 42.6 GW of capacity in the second half of the year. The Report also breaks down additions by the source of the generating capacity, noting:
- Solar additions totaled 12 GW (59% of all additions).
- Battery storage totaled 4.2 GW (21%).
- Wind power totaled 2.5 GW (12%).
- Nuclear power totaled 1,114 MW.
The Report also addressed retired capacity which was estimated to be 5.1 GW in the first half of the year. More than 51% of the retired capacity is stated to have used natural gas as its fuel. Coal was second at 41%.
A copy of the EIA Report can be downloaded here.
