Home / North America / United States of America / Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility — United States of America

Gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.1705, -81.4166.

GasNorth CarolinaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility is a 736 MW gas power station in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Southern Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 982 GWh, it can supply roughly 280k homes. It ranks #848 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 356,229 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 83k 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).

736MW installed capacity
982GWh reported / yr
280,485homes powered
356,229t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057029.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCleveland Cnty Generating Facility WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates35.1705, -81.4166 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity736 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000402282; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerSouthern Power Co WRI
Commissioned2013 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr982 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions356,229 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#848 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#364 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.07× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent280,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.2°C · HDD 1,755 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000402282; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 736 MW, Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

356,229 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

6.5kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
83kgasoline cars driven for a year
356kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.05%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Key facts

Load factor
15%, from 982 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
280 GWh in 2013 and 982 GWh in 2019 (+251%)
Highest and lowest year
2015: 1,023 GWh; 2013: 280 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
1,554 of 1,973 dated gas 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

2013: 280 GWh20132014: 737 GWh20142015: 1,023 GWh20152016: 800 GWh20162017: 859 GWh20172018: 772 GWh20182019: 982 GWh20191k GWh

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

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 35.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.2°Cannual mean temp
1,755heating degree-days (base 18°C)
749cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
214 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 29% 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: 39/100 — 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

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)
35/100environmental-severity index
21.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
298 kmdistance to coast

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 #364 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 35.1705, -81.4166 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility?

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility is a 736 MW gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 2013.

How much electricity does Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility generate?

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility generates about 982 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility?

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility is operated by Southern Power Co.

How much CO₂ does Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility emit?

Cleveland Cnty Generating Facility has measured emissions of about 356,229 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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