Nearly 32 gigawatts (GW) of new electric generating capacity will come online in the United States in 2018, more than in any year over the past decade, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on Monday.
According to EIA's projection, about 21 GW of natural gas-fired generators will come online in 2018. If the natural gas-fired generators come online based on their reported timelines, 2018 will be the first year since 2013 in which renewables did not make up a majority of added electric generating capacity.
In 2017, renewables accounted for 55 percent of the 21 GW of U.S. capacity additions, the fourth consecutive year in which renewables made up more than half. According to EIA figures, as of February 2018, renewables accounted for 22 percent of total currently operating U.S. electricity generating capacity.
About half of the 21 GW of natural gas-fired generation capacity EIA expects to come online by the end of 2018 are combined-cycle units to be added to the PJM Regional Transmission Organization, which spans parts of several Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states.
Editor:Amber
