How to read the EIA-860M power plant inventory
In one sentence
The EIA-860M file lists every power plant unit that operates, is planned, has retired or was canceled; adding it up by state shows that 280,971 MW is planned in the 50 states and DC against 1,318,784 MW operating, with 73,169 MW set to retire.
What the status codes mean
| Status code in the file | What it means | Our stage name |
|---|---|---|
| V, U, TS | Under construction (more or less than half complete) or construction complete, not yet in commercial operation | Under construction or in testing |
| T | Regulatory approvals received, not under construction | Permits received, not started |
| L | Regulatory approvals pending, not under construction | Permits pending |
| P | Planned, regulatory approvals not initiated | Early planning, no approvals started |
How we group fuels
| Fuel group here | Includes |
|---|---|
| Solar | Photovoltaic and solar thermal |
| Storage | Batteries, pumped storage, flywheels and other storage |
| Wind | Onshore and offshore wind |
| Natural gas | Natural gas and other gas generators |
| Coal | Bituminous, subbituminous, lignite, anthracite and waste coal |
| Nuclear | Nuclear |
| Hydro | Conventional hydroelectric |
| Oil | Distillate, residual, jet fuel, kerosene, petroleum coke and waste oil |
| Other | Geothermal, biomass, landfill gas, waste heat, hydrogen and anything else |
Capacity and its limits
- We use net summer capacity: what a unit can deliver at peak summer conditions, in MW. Nameplate capacity is higher for many units.
- 65 operating units have no net summer figure in the file and count as zero.
- The file lists capacity, not energy. A megawatt of solar or a battery produces or moves far fewer MWh than a megawatt of gas or nuclear, so capacity totals overstate the weight of solar and storage in the energy mix.
- Planned means planned. The canceled-or-postponed list holds 174,768 MW today, but it is a running list of past projects, so it cannot be turned into a failure rate for the current pipeline.
- Retirement dates are owners' current plans and move often.
- Puerto Rico and the other territories are left out.
Sources and dates
| Source | Period | Retrieved | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIA, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (EIA-860M) | inventory as of August 2026: operating, planned, retired, canceled or postponed | 5 Oct 2026 | All capacity, status and year figures |
| U.S. Census Bureau, cartographic boundary files, counties 2023 | county outlines | as built on this site | County maps |
Capacity is net summer capacity in MW. Planned does not mean built. How to read the inventory.
Questions
What is EIA-860M?
A monthly inventory of U.S. electric generators from the Energy Information Administration, listing operating, planned, retired and canceled units. It is preliminary: the annual EIA-860 survey is the final record.
What is net summer capacity?
The maximum output a unit can sustain at peak summer conditions, in megawatts, as reported to EIA.
Why are batteries counted as capacity?
EIA lists battery systems as generators with a power rating. Their energy storage in MWh is a different figure and is not used here.
Does a planned project always get built?
No. Projects slip, change fuel or are canceled.
Where can I get the numbers?
Every state and fuel total is in the CSV on the hub page, and every planned project is in a second CSV, both built from the August 2026 inventory.