Clairton Works

Gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 40.3097, -79.8819.

GasPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Clairton Works is a 31 MW gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by United States Steel- Clairton. Based on reported annual generation of 142 GWh, it can supply roughly 41k homes. It ranks #4247 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1955, it is around 71 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 51,480 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 12k 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).

31Source-backed capacity
142GWh reported / yr
40,514homes powered
51,480t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1955commissioned (~71 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050729.

Data status

Known data

FacilityClairton Works WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates40.3097, -79.8819 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity31 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerUnited States Steel- Clairton WRI
Commissioned1955 WRI
GWh reported / yr142 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions51,480 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4247 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1524 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.26× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent40,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.5°C · HDD 3,017 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 31 MW, Clairton Works is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

~51,480 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

12kpassenger cars driven for a year
6.7khomes' yearly energy use
858ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 162 GWh20132014: 174 GWh20142015: 150 GWh20152016: 165 GWh20162017: 129 GWh20172018: 129 GWh20182019: 142 GWh2019174 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by United States Steel- Clairton.

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 40.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.5°Cannual mean temp
3,017heating degree-days (base 18°C)
301cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
315 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 63/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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.

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)
32/100environmental-severity index
24.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
157 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 #1524 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.3097, -79.8819 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Clairton Works?

Clairton Works is a 31 MW source-record gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 1955.

How much electricity does Clairton Works generate?

Clairton Works generates about 142 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Clairton Works power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 40,514 homes.

Who operates Clairton Works?

Clairton Works is operated by United States Steel- Clairton.

How much CO₂ does Clairton Works emit?

Clairton Works has modelled emissions of about 51,480 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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