Home > Electricity > Electricity Publications > Inventory of Electric Utility Power Plants in the United States 2000
 Date of Data: 2000
 Report Released: March 2002
 Next Release Date: Discontinued*

* This report has been discontinued; summary 2001 data are available in the new Electric Power Annual 2001; detailed data will be available in database files on the Internet.

Inventory of Electric Utility Power Plants in the
United States 2000

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Summary

In 2000, the existing capacity1 of U.S. electric utilities totaled 604,514 megawatts (Table 1), a net change of -34,810 megawatts (-5.4 percent) from the total reported in 1999. This was mainly due to the sale/transfer of 42,974 megawatts of capacity during 2000 to nonutilities. Based on primary energy source, coal-fired capacity represented 43 percent (260,990 megawatts) of the Nation's existing capacity (Figure 1). Gas-fired capacity accounted for 19 percent (117,845 megawatts); nuclear, 14 percent (86,163 megawatts); renewable energy sources,2 12 percent (74,575 megawatts); petroleum, 7 percent (41,017 megawatts); and pumped storage hydroelectric, 3 percent (18,020 megawatts). The distribution of capacity by State for the various energy sources is shown in Figures 3 through 7. Figure 8 shows the distribution of total U.S. capacity by State.

Of the existing capacity, conventional steam-electric units accounted for 59 percent (357,537 megawatts). Nuclear units accounted for 14 percent; hydroelectric (conventional), 12 percent; gas turbine, 8 percent; pumped storage hydroelectric, 3 percent; combined cycle, 3 percent; and internal combustion, geothermal, solar, wind and other, 1 percent (Figure 2). Figure 9 shows the amount of existing capacity by prime mover and time period of initial commercial operation.

Of the 357,537 megawatts of conventional steam-electric capacity, 72,244 megawatts were in dual-fired generators, which are capable of using petroleum and gas; 34,562 megawatts of the 68,710 megawatts combined capacity for gas turbine, combined cycle, and internal combustion units were dual-fired.

In 2000, 7,991 megawatts in new units started commercial operation-4,300 megawatts more than the capacity in new units that started commercial operation in 1999 (Table 2). Eighty-four percent of this new capacity is in gas-fired combustion turbine and combined cycle units. The remaining 16 percent of new capacity is in petroleum-fired combustion turbine and internal combustion units, one coal-fired unit, and several solar, wind, and hydroelectric units (Table 18). Electric utility capacity additions by energy source for the past 10 years are shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Electric utilities reported 248 megawatts of capacity retired in 2000 (Table 2). Forty-four percent of the retired capacity is coal-fired and gas-fired steam-electric units. Petroleum-fired steam-electric and internal combustion units account for 55 percent of the capacity retired in 2000 and the remaining 1 percent is in hydroelectric, solar, and biomass steam-electric units. Detailed data about electric generating units retired from service in 2000 are shown in Table 19.

During 2000, nearly 43,000 megawatts of electric utilities' generating assets were sold to nonutilities or transferred to nonregulated affiliates. Nuclear generation assets were part of electric utilities' power plant divestitures in 2000. The nuclear plants sold are the 1,675-megawatt Calvert plant (Maryland), the 2,188-megawatt Susquehanna plant (Pennsylvania), the 619-megawatt Oyster Creek plant (New Jersey), the 1,031-megawatt Hope Creek plant (New Jersey), the 2,212-megawatt Salem plant (New Jersey), the 970-megawatt Indian Point 3 plant (New York) and the 820-megawatt James A FitzPatrick plant (New York). During 2001, an additional 28,186 megawatts (generator nameplate capacity) of electric utility generating assets were sold to nonutilities or transferred to nonregulated affiliates.

Five-Year Summary

For the 2001 through 2005 forecast period, electric utilities reported plans to add 44,726 megawatts of generating capacity in new units to their systems. Ninety-one percent of this total is gas-fired capacity.

In addition to adding new generators to their capacity, electric utilities reported several types of proposed changes to existing generating units for the 5-year period, 2001-2005. They proposed 55 electric generating units (19,300 megawatts) for either a fuel change, a rerating in capability, a repowering or life extension, or a combination of these. There are also plans to retire 5,247 megawatts of capacity. Projections of electric utility generating capacity, based on utilities' reported 5-year outlook of new generator additions and existing generating unit changes are presented in Figure 12.


Endnotes

1 In all cases, capacity is net summer capability, unless noted otherwise.
2 Renewable energy sources include water (conventional hydroelectric), geothermal, biomass, solar and wind.

Contact:
Kenneth McClevey
kenneth.mcclevey@eia.doe.gov
Phone: (202) 287-1732