Ten natural gas fired plants come online on U.S. electricity grid

While the U.S. is retiring coal-fired power plants, the latest data shows the country is also increasing its total capacity of natural gas generation.

In 2023, 10 new natural gas-fired power plants came online, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report.

The 10 plants collectively have a capacity of 6.8 gigawatts.

The EIA also expects another six gas-fired power plants to come online before the end of the year, bringing a total of 8.6 gigawatts of capacity to the grid.

Many of the 16 plants, the EIA said, are concentrated in the natural gas-producing areas of the Gulf Coast and Appalachian region. Three large plants in Florida and Michigan are coming online, as well as two smaller plants in Colorado and North Dakota.

A third small plant is being built in west Texas.

The EIA report said that over half of new simple-cycle gas turbine plants in 2022 and 2023 are located in Texas.

The gas plants quickly ramp up operations to respond to changes in demand or when intermittent renewable resources are scarce.

The EIA is also projecting another 7.7 gigawatts of natural gas-fired capacity to come online in 2024 and 2025.