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Calhoun Energy Center

Gas power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 33.5883, -85.9731.

GasAlabamaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Calhoun Energy Center is a 748 MW gas power station in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by Calhoun Power Co LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 335 GWh, it can supply roughly 95,685 homes. It ranks #458 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 26,958 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 6,284 cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

748MW installed capacity
335GWh reported / yr
95,685homes powered
26,958t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055409.

26,958 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

6,284passenger cars driven for a year
3,516homes' yearly energy use
449,300tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 6 GWh20132014: 29 GWh20142015: 4 GWh20152016: 195 GWh20162017: 160 GWh20172018: 197 GWh20182019: 335 GWh2019335 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Calhoun Power Co LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.2°Cannual mean temp
1,516heating degree-days (base 18°C)
870cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
225 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 7 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 38% below 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: 34/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #233 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 33.5883, -85.9731 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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