U.S. Coal Capacity Planned to Retire, Next 12 Months (GW)

## What this measures

The nameplate capacity, in gigawatts, of operating coal generators whose owners report a planned retirement date in the 12 months after the report month, from the Operating sheet of each monthly EIA-860M workbook. Each point is one workbook, dated to its report month.

## Why it matters

Retirements are the other half of the supply story. With data center demand rising, utilities have been pushing back planned closures of coal and gas plants, and the Department of Energy has ordered some to keep running. A shrinking near-term retirement list is one sign of a tight grid.

## How to read it

Higher means more capacity due to close within a year. Compare it with planned additions (energy.capacity_planned_12m_gw.us.total) and with what actually retired (energy.capacity_retired_annual_gw.us.coal): planned dates slip, and owners cancel retirements.

## What it does not say

A planned date is a plan, not a commitment. Nameplate capacity is rated maximum output, not generation. Puerto Rico is excluded.

## How it's built

Every generator on the Operating sheet with a Planned Retirement Year and Month 1 to 12 months after the workbook's month, summed by fuel group. Coal is every technology naming coal; gas every technology naming natural gas. History from the monthly workbooks EIA archives.

## Source

U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-860M, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m), the monthly workbook. EIA data are U.S. government works in the public domain; EIA asks that it be credited as the source. Refreshed weekly by /api/cron/eia-power-sync.