Canal — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 1599
- Capacity
- 1495 MW
- Primary Fuel
- RFO
- Technology
- Petroleum Liquids
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Barnstable, MA
- Operating Since
- 1968
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Canal Generating LLC
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 374,356 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 2.8%
- Balancing Authority
- ISO New England Inc.
- ISO/RTO
- ISONE
- NERC Region
- NPCC
Canal
OperatingDistillate OilResidual Oil
Ranked #1 of 1 Residual Oil plants in MA#2 of 13 nationally
1495 MW Residual Oil operating in Barnstable, MA — ISO New England Inc.
EIAWD
1,495 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Petroleum Liquids
Technology
1968
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
41.7694, -70.5097
County
Barnstable, MA
Nearby Plants
- Renew Canal 1 CSG LLCSolar1.2 MW · 1.0 km
- Cape Cod Air Force Station - 6 SWSWind3.4 MW · 3.1 km
- Cedarville CSGSolar2.5 MW · 4.9 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Canal Generating LLC | — | — |
| Owner(s) | Canal 3 Generating LLC, Canal Generating LLC | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
The Canal Generating Plant is a petroleum and natural gas electrical power station in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Canal 1, a baseload unit, began operation in 1968 and was for many years the most efficient oil burning plant in the US. Canal 2, a cycling unit, began operation in the mid-1970s. The plant was bought by Mirant in 1999, now GenOn Energy Holdings division of NRG Energy. It is located on Cape Cod Canal. In its heyday, the Canal plant generated the vast majority of the Cape's power, but today functions only as a peaking plant.
Read more on WikipediaThe Canal plant, located in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, has a total capacity of 1495 MW across three generators. It is the largest power plant in Massachusetts and ranks second nationally among plants using residual fuel oil (RFO). The plant began operating in 1968 and is owned and operated by Canal Generating LLC. Its primary fuel source is petroleum liquids.
In the latest year of reported generation, the Canal plant produced 374,356 MWh of electricity, operating at a capacity factor of 2.8%. The plant is located within the ISO New England Inc. balancing authority and the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) NERC region. Its operations and market participation have been the subject of news coverage, with ten articles available, spanning industry trends, deals, regulatory matters, and grid-related topics.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
NPCC
Balancing Authority
ISO New England Inc.
Grid Voltage
345 kV
Regulatory Status
NR
Entity Type
Independent Power Producer
Sector
IPP Non-CHP
Generation
78.1K MWh
Latest Month
374.4K MWh
Annual Generation
2.8%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial Data
No financial data available for this plant.
Pricing & Market Data
HIGH confidencePoint of Interconnection
Nearest Substation
Canal Substation · 345 kV
Substation Distance
< 10 km
Operator
Eversource
Coord Source
OSM spatial
Market Position
ISO/RTO Market
ISO-NE
LMP Node
365
Pricing Hub
.H.INTERNAL_HUB
Node Source
EIA-860 direct report
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·federal policy
McCallum Enterprises I Limited Partnership and Shelton Canal Company; Notice of Authorization for Continued Project Operation
Federal Register (FERC)·1 weeks ago
General
Large-scale CT solar project looks to drill under popular trail. Residents concerned with its impact
Broadleaf Solar, a renewable energy supplier, is seeking to drill transmission lines under the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail in East...
Hartford Courant·2 months ago
General
Solar-panel-covered canals have their day in the sun in California
California's first solar-over-canal project goes online with the commissioning of the narrow and wide span arrays in the Turlock Irrigation...
University of California·4 months ago
General
Solar-panel-covered canals have their day in the sun in California
California's first solar-over-canal project goes online with the commissioning of the narrow and wide span arrays in the Turlock Irrigation...
University of California·4 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-25
View all 10 articles