, the U.S. Energy Information Administration EIA said on Monday. As many as 10 natural gas-fired power plants have already come online so far this year, adding 6.8 GW of electric generating capacity, EIA’s Monthly Electric Generator Inventory showed. Another six gas-fired power plants with a combined power generating capacity of 1.8 GW are expected to start operations by the end of this year, bringing total 2023 additions to 8.6 GW, the EIA said.
The administration expects 20 new natural gas-fired power plants to come online in the next two years, 2024 and 2025, with a total capacity of 7.7 GW. Natural gas accounted for 39.8% of U.S. utility-scale electricity generation in 2022, and was the largest source of power generation in America by a mile. Coal and nuclear power followed with 19.5% and 18.2% of utility-scale electricity generation. All renewable energy sources, including hydropower, held a combined share of 21.5% of U.S.