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Covanta Delano Energy

Waste power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.7144, -119.2337.

WasteCaliforniaUnited States of America

Covanta Delano Energy is a 57 MW waste power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Covanta Delano Inc. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 78k homes (estimated). It ranks #3542 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

57Source-backed capacity
78,464homes powered (est.)
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010840.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCovanta Delano Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates35.7144, -119.2337 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity57 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCovanta Delano Inc WRI
Commissioned1991 WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3542 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#54 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.64× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent78,464 calculated
Climate17.7°C · HDD 1,144 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsNot 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 57 MW, Covanta Delano 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 320 GWh20132014: 301 GWh20142015: 266 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 0 GWh2019320 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Covanta Delano Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.7°Cannual mean temp
1,144heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,057cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
223 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 53% 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: 28/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
19.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
138 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 #54 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 35.7144, -119.2337 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Covanta Delano Energy?

Covanta Delano Energy is a 57 MW source-record waste power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1991.

How many homes can Covanta Delano Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 78,464 homes (estimated).

Who operates Covanta Delano Energy?

Covanta Delano Energy is operated by Covanta Delano Inc.

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