Canal
Barnstable County, Massachusetts · EIA plant ID 1599 · Operator: NRG Canal 3 Development LLC
Nameplate1,495MWSummer 1,449 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation447GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor2%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate10,444Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1968Runs as rarely runs
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4,736.2 | — | — |
| 2002 | 4,624.8 | — | — |
| 2003 | 4,583.6 | 47.1% | 10,312 |
| 2004 | 5,449.6 | 55.8% | 9,726 |
| 2005 | 4,903.4 | 50.3% | 9,841 |
| 2006 | 1,653.2 | 17.0% | 11,397 |
| 2007 | 2,247.4 | 23.1% | 10,793 |
| 2008 | 1,713.7 | 17.5% | 10,959 |
| 2009 | 557.1 | 5.7% | 10,718 |
| 2010 | 120.8 | 1.2% | 12,269 |
| 2011 | 38.6 | 0.4% | 17,784 |
| 2012 | 22.6 | 0.2% | 21,014 |
| 2013 | 88.4 | 0.9% | 14,729 |
| 2014 | 373.5 | 3.8% | 10,656 |
| 2015 | 261.6 | 2.7% | 11,768 |
| 2016 | 52.1 | 0.5% | 14,673 |
| 2017 | 40.5 | 0.4% | 14,055 |
| 2018 | 139.1 | 1.4% | 11,181 |
| 2019 | 195.6 | 1.7% | 10,616 |
| 2020 | 177.2 | 1.4% | 11,138 |
| 2021 | 184.1 | 1.5% | 10,828 |
| 2022 | 527.6 | 4.2% | 10,600 |
| 2023 | 59.8 | 0.5% | 15,201 |
| 2024 | 288.8 | 2.3% | 10,705 |
| 2025 | 374.4 | 2.9% | 11,153 |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | ST | 585 | 560 | Jun 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | ST | 580 | 558.8 | Jan 1976 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 330 | 330 | Jun 2019 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| UN1 | Petroleum Liquids | ST | 632 | 558.7 | Jun 1968 | not_current | — | coming soon |
| UN2 | Petroleum Liquids | ST | 610 | 553 | Jan 1976 | not_current | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: NRG Canal 3 Development LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Canal Generating LLC | 77.9% | 1,165 MW |
| Canal 3 Generating LLC | 22.1% | 330 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Renew Canal 1 CSG LLC | 1 MW | 1 km |
| Cape Cod Air Force Station - 6 SWS | 3 MW | 3.1 km |
| Cedarville CSG | 3 MW | 5 km |
| 665 Scenic Highway | 6 MW | 5.1 km |
| Sandwich | 4 MW | 6.3 km |
| Future Generation Wind | 8 MW | 8.8 km |