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Energy · North America

US fossil-fuel project plans climb as electricity demand rises

The Verge reports that plans for new US fossil-fuel infrastructure rose as electricity demand climbed. Fossil-fuel projects accounted for 30 percent of planned new capacity by the second quarter of 2026, up from 5 percent in 2024.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outlets · 1 article captured only in partHow it's made

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2 outlets2 regionsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 1 · R 0 · 1 unrated
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What happened

Key facts

  • The United States is expanding fossil-fuel infrastructure amid rising electricity demand (per The Verge, cryptonomist.ch).
  • Plans for new fossil-fuel infrastructure increased from 5 percent of planned new capacity in 2024 to 30 percent by the second quarter of 2026 (per The Verge).
  • The report says electricity demand is climbing faster than it has in more than a decade (per The Verge).
  • If the trend continues, fossil fuels could account for 70 percent of the development pipeline by the end of the decade (per The Verge).
  • Planned fossil-fuel capacity would reach 68 gigawatts by 2030, a 45 percent increase from construction plans six months earlier (per The Verge).

The brief

US plans for new fossil-fuel infrastructure have expanded as electricity demand rises, The Verge reported, citing a new report that analyzes data from the US Energy Information Administration. The report tracks a marked increase in fossil-fuel projects’ share of planned new electricity-generation capacity: from 5 percent in 2024 to 30 percent by the second quarter of 2026.

The demand increase is also notable in historical terms. The Verge says the report found electricity use climbing faster than it had in more than a decade. The report connects the two developments in its account of the changing power-sector outlook, but does not assign a cause for the rise in demand or identify particular projects, companies or regions behind the expansion.

The report estimates that planned fossil-fuel capacity would reach 68 gigawatts by 2030. That figure is 45 percent above construction plans from six months earlier, according to The Verge. The comparison indicates that the project pipeline grew substantially over that interval; it describes planned capacity, not generation already operating.

The report also sets out a conditional projection: if the current trend continues, fossil fuels could make up 70 percent of the development pipeline by the end of the decade. That is a forecast rather than a confirmed outcome, and it depends on the trend persisting.

The report’s figures distinguish the share of new capacity plans at two points from the projected composition of the broader development pipeline.

In describing the stakes for the electricity system, the report calls the power sector’s position a “new inflection point.” It says decisions made now will shape the grid’s cost, reliability and emissions profile over the coming decades.

The figures therefore place the expansion of planned fossil-fuel capacity alongside a sharp rise in electricity demand, while the longer-term effects remain tied to whether proposed projects proceed and the projected trend holds. The report’s analysis relies on US Energy Information Administration data, as The Verge describes it.

Its central measures concern planned capacity and development pipelines; the 68-gigawatt figure is not a report of electricity generation currently supplied by those projects. The account presents no response from government officials, power companies or other energy-sector groups.

Why it matters

  • The planned fossil-fuel share of new capacity rose from 5 percent in 2024 to 30 percent by the second quarter of 2026, changing the composition of the project pipeline as electricity demand climbs.
  • The report puts planned fossil-fuel capacity at 68 gigawatts by 2030, 45 percent above construction plans six months earlier.
  • If the trend continues, fossil fuels could represent 70 percent of the development pipeline by the end of the decade; the projection is conditional.
  • The report identifies grid cost, reliability and emissions as stakes shaped by decisions in the power sector.

What to watch next

  • Whether the projected fossil-fuel share of the development pipeline reaches 70 percent by the end of the decade, if the trend continues.
  • Whether planned fossil-fuel capacity reaches the report’s 68-gigawatt projection for 2030.
  • Whether the 45 percent increase over construction plans six months earlier continues in subsequent plans.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
2 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Center · 1 unrated
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 50% · Europe 50%
Outlet political mix
Too few rated
Left
Center
Right
0 outlets
1 outlet
0 outlets
The marker shows coverage balance: each unique outlet counts once. 1 unrated outlet is not included.
Geography
Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
  • Coverage is currently limited to 2 outlets.
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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Congress passed the Federal Power Act, giving the federal government authority over interstate electricity transmission and wholesale power sales.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Congress passed the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, encouraging nonutility generators to sell electricity to utilities.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  3. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, expanding wholesale electricity competition and creating a production tax credit for wind power.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. Congress passed the Energy Policy Act, including measures supporting energy production and infrastructure.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, extending and broadening federal tax incentives for clean electricity.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy also published a study examining how transmission planning could accommodate changing electricity needs.
    Background · from our historical context

How we got here

In August 2024, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report estimated that U.S. data centers used 4.4 percent of the nation’s electricity in 2023 and could use 6.7 to 12 percent by 2028. In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy also published a study examining how transmission planning could accommodate changing electricity needs.

The Federal Power Act of 1935 gave the federal government authority over interstate electricity transmission and wholesale power sales, while leaving most retail electricity regulation to the states. The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 encouraged nonutility generators to sell electricity to utilities, opening space for independent power producers.

Original sources

1 of 2 articles · US/Canada · Show all

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