Home / North America / United States of America / Covanta Bristol Energy

Covanta Bristol Energy

Waste power plant in Connecticut, United States of America. Approximate location 41.6492, -72.9153.

WasteConnecticutUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Covanta Bristol Energy is a 16 MW waste power plant in Connecticut, United States of America. It is operated by Covanta Bristol Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 102 GWh, it can supply roughly 29k homes. It ranks #5086 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 136,700 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 32k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

16Source-backed capacity
102GWh reported / yr
29,085homes powered
136,700t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050648.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCovanta Bristol Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Connecticut WRI
Coordinates41.6492, -72.9153 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity16 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCovanta Bristol Inc WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
GWh reported / yr102 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions136,700 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5086 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#169 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.47× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent29,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.2°C · HDD 3,155 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 16 MW, Covanta Bristol Energy is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

~136,700 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

32kpassenger cars driven for a year
18khomes' yearly energy use
2.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 106 GWh20132014: 103 GWh20142015: 109 GWh20152016: 107 GWh20162017: 104 GWh20172018: 90 GWh20182019: 102 GWh2019109 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Covanta Bristol Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.2°Cannual mean temp
3,155heating degree-days (base 18°C)
325cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
74 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 28% 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: 67/100 — this site sits in the top 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
25.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
78 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 #169 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.6492, -72.9153 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Covanta Bristol Energy?

Covanta Bristol Energy is a 16 MW source-record waste power plant in Connecticut, United States of America, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does Covanta Bristol Energy generate?

Covanta Bristol Energy generates about 102 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Covanta Bristol Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 29,085 homes.

Who operates Covanta Bristol Energy?

Covanta Bristol Energy is operated by Covanta Bristol Inc.

How much CO₂ does Covanta Bristol Energy emit?

Covanta Bristol Energy has modelled emissions of about 136,700 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.