Constellation Energy in deal to buy 609-MW Rhode Island gas plant from Shell

Constellation Energy is buying a large gas-fired power plant in Rhode Island from Shell for $715 million. The plant, called the Rhode Island State Energy Center, sits in Johnston, R.I., and can generate 609 megawatts of electricity. It runs on natural gas and feeds power into the New England electric grid. In a separate deal, Shell is buying a smaller gas plant portfolio in Pennsylvania that serves the mid-Atlantic grid. Both sales are expected to close in early 2027.

For homeowners, this is a behind-the-scenes shift in who owns the power plants supplying the regional grid, not a change to rates, service, or programs you'd sign up for directly. If you live in Rhode Island or elsewhere in New England, the electricity in your outlets may increasingly come through infrastructure owned by Constellation rather than Shell, but your utility bill and service provider likely stay the same.

The bigger picture: deals like this are becoming more common as power companies scramble to add generating capacity, partly to keep up with rising electricity demand from data centers running artificial intelligence. That demand growth is one reason industry analysts expect continued buying and selling of power plants. Over time, this kind of consolidation and capacity expansion can affect regional electricity prices and grid reliability, both of which matter for your monthly bill and how often the lights stay on, though this particular transaction doesn't come with any immediate changes for individual households.