Shareholder-owned electric utilities' capital expenditure in the U.S. 2010-2025

U.S. shareholder-owned electric utilities are expected to spend a combined 168.2 billion U.S. dollars on capital investments in 2025. Despite the energy crisis putting a strain on the pockets of many within the energy industry, the capital expenditure of shareholder-owned power utilities grew in both 2021 and 2022.

Largest power utilities

Florida Power & Light Co. is the leading U.S. electric utility by number of customers, serving more than 5.7 million people. In addition, Florida Power & Light - the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy - is the leading utility in terms of electricity sales, having sold almost 130 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2022.

Responsibilities of public utilities

Public utilities are responsible for managing resource infrastructure for public services. This includes supply of water and sewage, heating gas, telecommunication, and electricity. In 1935, the U.S. Congress passed the Public Utility Holding Company Act to expedite regulation of power utilities. Power utilities generate more than 2,000 terawatt-hours of electricity every year, although production output has recently decreased due to an increased energy efficiency.