The US Energy Information Administration expects 63 GW of new utility-scale electric-generating capacity to be added to the USA’s power grid in 2025, according to its latest ‘Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory’ report. This represents an almost 30% increase from 2024 when 48.6 GW of capacity was installed, the largest capacity installation in a single year since 2002. Together, solar and battery storage account for 81% of the expected total capacity additions, with solar making up over 50% of the increase.
In 2024, solar generators added a record 30 GW of utility scale solar to the grid, accounting for 61% of capacity additions in the year. EIA expects this trend to continue in 2025, with 32.5 GW of new utility-scale solar capacity to be added. Texas (11.6 GW) and California (2.9 GW) will account for almost half of it. EIA expects five other states (Indiana, Arizona, Michigan, Florida, and New York) each to account for more than 1 GW of added solar capacity in 2025 and collectively account for 7.8 GW of planned solar capacity additions.
In 2025, capacity growth from battery storage could set a record with an expected 18.2 GW of utility-scale installations to be added to the grid. US battery storage achieved record growth in 2024 when power providers added 10.3 GW of new battery storage capacity. This growth highlights the importance of battery storage when used with renewable energy.
EIA expects 7.7 GW of wind capacity to be added to the US grid in 2025. Last year, only 5.1 GW was added, the smallest wind capacity addition since 2014. Texas, Wyoming, and Massachusetts will account for almost half of the additions. Two large offshore wind plants are expected to come online this year: the 800 MW Vinyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts and the 715 MW Revolution Wind in Rhode Island.
Developers plan to build 4.4 GW of new natural gas-fired capacity in the USA during 2025: 50% will be simple-cycle combustion turbines and 36% combined-cycle power blocks. Utah, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Tennessee account for more than 70% of these planned natural gas additions. The two largest natural gas plants expected to come online in the year are the 840 MW Intermountain Power Project in Utah and the 678.7 MW Magnolia Power in Louisiana. The additions at the Intermountain project will replace 1800 MW of coal-fired capacity at the plant, which is scheduled to be retired in July this year.
