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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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How many power plants are in the United States?

As of December 31, 2022, there were 25,378 electric generators at about 12,538 utility-scale electric power plants in the United States. Utility-scale power plants have a total nameplate electricity generation capacity of at least 1 megawatt (MW). A power plant may have one or more generators, and some generators may use more than one type of fuel.

Learn more:
Electric Power Annual, Table 4.1: Count of electric power industry power plants by sector, by predominant energy sources within plant (some power plants are double-counted by fuel type in Table 4.1), and Table 4.3: Existing capacity by energy source (includes number of generators by type of main fuel/energy source)
Downloadable databases with detailed data on individual generators and power plants

Last updated: October 20, 2023.


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