Brunner Island

Coal power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 40.0961, -76.6962.

CoalPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaSteamAnnouncedCO₂ measured

Brunner Island is a 1,559 MW coal power station in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Brunner Island LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2,588 GWh, it can supply roughly 739k homes. It ranks #354 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 1,668,140 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 389k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

1,559Source-backed capacity
2,588GWh reported / yr
739,314homes powered
1,668,140t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1966Announced year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003140.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBrunner Island WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates40.0961, -76.6962 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,559 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBrunner Island LLC WRI
Commissioned1966 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr2,588 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,668,140 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#354 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#128 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.79× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent739,314 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.4°C · HDD 2,836 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000104133); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,559 MW, Brunner Island is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Its current lifecycle status is “announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

1,668,140 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

389kpassenger cars driven for a year
218khomes' yearly energy use
28 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 6,698 GWh20132014: 5,944 GWh20142015: 4,851 GWh20152016: 3,267 GWh20162017: 3,650 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 2,588 GWh20197k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Brunner Island LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.4°Cannual mean temp
2,836heating degree-days (base 18°C)
439cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
134 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 12 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 58/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
25.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
191 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #128 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.0961, -76.6962 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Brunner Island?

Brunner Island is a 1,559 MW source-record coal power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, planned/announced for 1966.

How much electricity does Brunner Island generate?

Brunner Island generates about 2,588 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Brunner Island power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 739,314 homes.

Who operates Brunner Island?

Brunner Island is operated by Brunner Island LLC.

How much CO₂ does Brunner Island emit?

Brunner Island has measured emissions of about 1,668,140 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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