Today in Energy

U.S. power plant developers and operators plan to add 86 gigawatts (GW) of new utility-scale electric generating capacity to the U.S. power grid in 2026 in our latest Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report, a record if realized. Solar power makes up 51% of the planned 2026 capacity additions, followed by battery storage at 28% and wind at 14%.

The first large-scale commercial enhanced geothermal system (EGS) power generator in the United States is under construction with the company reporting in our generator survey that it plans to bring the project online in June 2026. Below, we examine what enhanced geothermal systems are and how they differ from conventional geothermal systems.

U.S. exports of refined petroleum products carried on clean product tankers have increased steadily over the last year, with exports totaling 6.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in January 2026, about 10% more than in January 2025 and near record highs, according to data from Vortexa. Growth in exports of diesel, gasoline, and liquified petroleum gases (LPG) drove the overall increase. Exports of diesel both increased and shifted destinations, with more headed to Europe and less headed to South America, which has historically been the largest destination for U.S. distillate exports.

We forecast that U.S. natural gas marketed production will increase by 2% to average 120.8 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2026 and then further increase to a record-high 122.3 Bcf/d in 2027 in our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Around 69% of forecast production over the next two years comes from the Appalachia, Haynesville, and Permian regions.

State taxes and fees on motor gasoline as of January 1, 2026, ranged from a high of 70.9 cents per gallon (c/gal) in California to a low of 9.0 c/gal in Alaska. State gasoline taxes averaged 33.5 c/gal across states, a slight increase from their average last year.