Competitive Power Highlights | January 2026
As 2026 begins, competitive power suppliers are moving forward with projects that deliver reliable, cost-effective electricity across the country. EPSA members are bringing new natural gas plants online in West Virginia and Texas, launching Maryland’s largest solar project, and advancing innovative battery storage and virtual power solutions in PJM and ERCOT.
Competitive power supplier efforts support more than just electricity—they create jobs, strengthen local economies, and expand educational and community programs. By combining fast-responding generation, renewable resources, and advanced storage solutions, competitive power suppliers are putting private capital to work to ensure that the nation’s grid is ready to meet growing demand and evolving needs throughout the year.
Read for more updates from Calpine, Competitive Power Ventures, Constellation, Earthrise Energy, Jupiter Power, Kindle Energy, LS Power, NRG Energy, and Vistra.
Calpine and Kindle Advance Natural Gas Projects in West Virginia
Calpine secured approval from Marshall County, West Virginia, for lease and PILOT agreements supporting a proposed natural gas–fired power plant. The 30-year lease could generate tens of millions of dollars for the county and school district, while supporting local jobs, use of local labor, and future tax revenues. Calpine Vice President of Origination Suriyun Sukduang said the project will contribute to “a more reliable electric power grid, local jobs, tax revenues, and targeted philanthropic support that improves education, workforce development, environmental projects, and economic opportunity.”
Kindle Energy, with financing from Blackstone, advanced construction of the 625-MW Wolf Summit Energy natural gas plant in West Virginia, backed by $1.2 billion in private capital and marking the state’s first combined-cycle natural gas plant. The project will help meet rising electricity demand from AI and industrial growth and is expected to create about 500 construction jobs, with operations slated to begin in 2027.
Constellation Completes Calpine Acquisition and Expands Nationwide Capacity
Constellation announced the completion of its acquisition of Calpine Corporation from Energy Capital Partners, creating the nation’s largest producer of electricity with 55 GW of capacity, combining Constellation’s zero-emission nuclear fleet with Calpine’s natural gas and geothermal assets to deliver reliable, clean power for millions of customers and to support data centers, advanced manufacturing, and critical infrastructure.
Constellation president and CEO Joe Dominguez said the deal is “about strengthening America’s future,” adding that Constellation is “stepping up to power America’s growth when our nation’s demand for energy is surging, and our global competitors are racing to capture AI leadership.”
Andrew Novotny, president and CEO of Calpine, called it “an exciting day for both our companies and for the customers and communities we serve. We have the assets that power America today and meet the needs of tomorrow. Our expanded capabilities will allow us to better serve customers and communities, enable investment in critical infrastructure and support national priorities for energy security, economic competitiveness and technological leadership.”
Furthermore, ECP’s president and managing partner Tyler Reeder said the combination “validates that vision, setting the company up for future success while meeting the evolving needs of its customers, communities and the U.S.’s electrical grid.”
The combined company will serve 2.5 million customers nationwide, strengthen its footprint in high-demand regions including Texas and California, and position itself to drive innovation while expanding community investment and philanthropy.
Constellation Invests in Nuclear Operations and Grid Reliability
Constellation received a $1 billion federal loan to support the restart of the Crane Clean Energy Center nuclear plant in Londonderry, PA, powered by a long-term agreement with Microsoft, which is on track to be delivered ahead of schedule. The loan will help revive the former Three Mile Island reactor in Pennsylvania, which the company expects to reopen as early as mid-2027, delivering around-the-clock, carbon-free power for data centers. Read more in EPSA’s feature.
The power purchase agreement with Microsoft earned Constellation the Platts “Energy Deal of the Year” award. Constellation Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dan Eggers said the team’s work “will create more than 3,000 jobs, add over $16 billion to Pennsylvania’s GDP, and generate more than $3 billion in community supporting taxes,” adding that the award reflects the “transformative impact of working together with partners like Microsoft and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to meet the region’s growing energy needs and put 835 MWs of clean, reliable power back on the grid at a critical time.” Through the long-term agreement, Microsoft will use the emissions-free reliable energy to help match power use at its PJM data centers, while contributing to grid reliability.
Constellation received Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval to extend operations at its Clinton and Dresden nuclear plants in Illinois by 20 years and is investing $370 million in upgrades that will allow Clinton to operate through 2047 and Dresden through 2049 and 2051. Constellation Executive Vice President and Chief Generation Officer Bryan Hanson said that over the past decade the company has invested more than $3 billion in its Illinois nuclear fleet and that the license extensions will keep the plants online “or another two decades, preserving more than 2,200 family-sustaining jobs and $8.1 billion in federal, state and local tax dollars.”
Clinton’s long-term outlook is secured by a 20-year agreement with Meta that replaces the state’s Zera Emission Credit Program and ensures continued operation without ratepayer support.
Competitive Power Ventures Launches Maryland’s Largest Solar Project
Competitive Power Ventures began commercial operations at CPV Backbone Solar, a 160-MW facility that is now Maryland’s largest solar project. The project will generate enough electricity to power around 30,000 homes while adding new generation to the grid as demand grows.
CPV CEO Sherman Knight said “CPV Backbone Solar exemplifies our mission to support a responsible energy transition. By transforming exhausted coal mine land into a productive solar facility, we’re demonstrating how brownfield redevelopment, innovative engineering, and strategic partnerships can meet complex project challenges and deliver new power generation in Maryland.”
EPSA Members Advance Energy Storage and Virtual Power Plants
NRG Energy announced a 721-MW natural gas power plant expansion at its Cedar Bayou complex in Chambers County, Texas, representing an estimated $936 million capital investment and designated as a qualified project under the state’s Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) program.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the project a “Texas-sized $936 million investment” that will “increase dispatchable electricity generation and further reinforce grid reliability.”
NRG expects the unit to begin generating power by mid-2028, and NRG Executive Vice President and NRG Business and Wholesale Operations President Robert J. Gaudette stated that once the project is online it “will provide additional permanent jobs, new electricity for Texas, and regional economic growth.”
NRG also partnered with Sunrun to accelerate distributed energy and virtual power plant development across Texas, aiming to create a 1-GW virtual power plant by 2035. The collaboration will pair Sunrun’s home solar-plus-storage systems with NRG’s retail electricity provider, Reliant, allowing aggregated home batteries to supply dispatchable power to ERCOT during peak demand.
NRG Executive Vice President Brad Bentley said the partnership is “unlocking a new source of dispatchable, flexible energy while giving customers the opportunity to unlock value from their homes and contribute to a more resilient grid.”
Jupiter Power was among leading independent developers awarded PJM interconnection agreements as part of 2.2 GW of new battery storage moving forward under PJM’s reformed process.
LS Power Expands Wind Portfolio Across U.S. and Canada
LS Power completed its acquisition of bp’s U.S. onshore wind business, adding 1.3 GW of wind generation across projects in Indiana, South Dakota, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Colorado, and Idaho. The assets will be integrated into LS Power’s Clearlight Energy platform, which currently oversees approximately 4.3 GW of wind, solar, and battery storage assets across the U.S. and Canada. With this transaction, LS Power will operate over 22.3GW of generation capacity in the US, alongside around 780 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.
LS Power CEO Paul Segal said the acquisition reflects the company’s focus on “operating assets that can deliver clean, reliable power at meaningful scale.”
Vistra Announces 20-Year Nuclear PPAs Supporting Meta’s PJM Operations
Vistra announced it has entered into 20-year PPAs to provide more than 2,600 megawatts of zero-carbon energy from a combination of three different nuclear plants in PJM to support Meta’s operations in the region. The agreements include 2,176 MW of operating generation and an additional 433 MW of combined power output increases, which will be the largest nuclear uprates supported by a corporate customer in the United States.
EPSA Members Give Back to Their Communities
Earthrise Energy sponsored Eastern Illinois Foodbank’s Foodmobile to help deliver free groceries to families facing food insecurity in Coles County, Illinois.
Constellation awarded a $25,000 E2 Energy to Educate grant to Joliet Junior College to support its Empowering Future Energy Leaders initiative, funding summer STEM camps focused on clean energy, sustainability, and career exploration.
