Canton North Carolina — United States of America

Canton North Carolina is a 52.5 MW coal power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 289 GWh, it can supply roughly 83k homes. It ranks #3573 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1953, it is around 73 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050244.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 52.5 MW, Canton North Carolina is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). 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.

Key facts

Load factor

63%, from 289 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%

Generation trend

320 GWh in 2013 and 289 GWh in 2019 (−10%)

Highest and lowest year

2015: 342 GWh; 2019: 289 GWh

Share of United States of America coal capacity

less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

63 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

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

Owner

Operated by Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 7% 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: 52/100 — 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

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

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 #736 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

• Innovative Solar 10 · Solar · 1.5 MW · North Carolina
• Innovative Solar 6 · Solar · 3.6 MW · North Carolina
• Marshall Dam · Hydro · 5 MW · North Carolina
• Biltmore Solar Fields · Solar · 1.5 MW · North Carolina
• Metropolitan Sewerage District · Hydro · 2.4 MW · North Carolina
• Walters · Hydro · 108 MW · North Carolina

Location

Coordinates 35.535, -82.8411 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions