Power Plants in Rhode Island

Rhode Island holds 2,577 megawatts of generating capacity across 112 plants, ranking 49th of the 50 states and DC by fleet size. Natural gas dominates the state's power fleet at 77.1% of total capacity spread across 8 plants, while solar accounts for 17.5% across 77 installations. Wind and other sources make up 3% and 2% respectively, with hydro and battery storage contributing minimal shares. The five largest plants are all natural gas facilities: Rhode Island State Energy Center at 596 megawatts, Manchester Street at 515 megawatts, Ocean State Power II at 307 megawatts, Tiverton Power Plant at 275 megawatts, and Ocean State Power at 254 megawatts.

The state's generating fleet spans from Central Power Plant, which came online in August 1958, to WSD Coventry, which entered service in December 2025. This represents the nameplate capacity—what the equipment could produce running flat out—which differs from actual generation, since a megawatt of solar and a megawatt of natural gas produce very different amounts of electricity over a year. The 77 solar installations reflect how many small-scale projects make up that 17.5% share; plant count alone does not measure fleet size, and capacity remains the meaningful comparison.