Approximately 1.7 GW of new natural gas power plant capacity was added in the first half of 2025, with more expected throughout the year, though the pace is significantly lower than in previous years. While some sources project a total of nearly 7.2 GW of planned additions for the full year, data from the first half indicates that solar, wind, and battery storage are dominating new capacity additions.
First-half additions: About 1.7 GW of natural gas capacity was added in the first half of 2025, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Total projected additions: Other estimates project a total of around 7.2 GW of gas capacity additions for the entire year, surpassing planned retirements.
Comparison
to other sources: This is a much slower pace than in previous years, where
an average of 9.6 GW was added annually.
Dominant technologies: Solar, wind, and battery storage accounted for the vast majority of new capacity additions in the first half of 2025.
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 94 new natural gas-fired generators were added in the United States in 2025. These generators added a total of 4.4 gigawatts (GW) of capacity.
Capacity breakdown by type
The 4.4 GW of new natural gas capacity in 2025 includes two types of generators:
Simple-cycle combustion turbines: Account for about 50% of the new capacity, which can be quickly ramped up to meet high demand.
Combined-cycle power blocks: Represent about 36% of the total capacity. These are more efficient and designed for longer, more consistent operation. Two of the new combined-cycle plants also have the capability to co-fire with hydrogen.
Context on new natural gas additions
While
the number of new plants and total capacity were added in 2025, it's important
to consider additional context:
A historical low: This represents one of the lowest amounts of new gas capacity added in the U.S. in 25 years. For example, in 2002, 57 GW of new capacity was added from natural gas.
Net capacity increase: Despite the new additions, the net increase in natural gas capacity was much smaller, around 0.6%, because of natural gas plant retirements during the year.
Renewables growth: Natural gas additions in 2025 were significantly overshadowed by the growth in renewable energy sources like solar and wind, which together accounted for nearly 90% of the 64 GW of total planned capacity additions.
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+us+natural+gas+power+plants+have+been+added+in+2025
Comments
No Coal-Fired Power Plants have been reopened and no new Coal-Fired Power Plants are being built. Wind and Solar Power costs are 14 cents per KWH compared to Coal and Natural Gas Power Plants at 2 cents per KWH.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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