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Chester Generating Station

Oil power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 39.8301, -75.3837.

OilPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Chester Generating Station is a 56 MW oil power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Exelon Power. Based on reported annual generation of 0 GWh, it can supply roughly 57 homes. It ranks #3563 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 36,649 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 8.5k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 0.7% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

56Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
0GWh reported / yr
57homes powered
36,649t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1969commissioned (~57 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003157.

Data status

Known data

FacilityChester Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates39.8301, -75.3837 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity56 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerExelon Power WRI
Commissioned1969 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr0 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions36,649 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3563 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#107 of 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers7.75× · 7 MW median · 902 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent57 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.3°C · HDD 2,580 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 56 MW, Chester Generating Station is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

~36,649 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

8.5kpassenger cars driven for a year
4.8khomes' yearly energy use
611ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 1 GWh20132014: 3 GWh20142015: 1 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 1 GWh20172018: 2 GWh20182019: 0 GWh20193 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Exelon Power. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.3°Cannual mean temp
2,580heating degree-days (base 18°C)
531cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
23 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 5% 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

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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
24.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
93 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 #107 largest oil power plant of 902 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 902 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 40,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.8301, -75.3837 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Chester Generating Station?

Chester Generating Station is a 56 MW source-record oil power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 1969.

How much electricity does Chester Generating Station generate?

Chester Generating Station generates about 0 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Chester Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 57 homes.

Who operates Chester Generating Station?

Chester Generating Station is operated by Exelon Power.

How much CO₂ does Chester Generating Station emit?

Chester Generating Station has modelled emissions of about 36,649 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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