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Covanta Delaware Valley

Waste power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 39.8265, -75.3882.

WastePennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Covanta Delaware Valley is a 90 MW waste power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Covanta Delaware Valley LP. Based on reported annual generation of 519 GWh, it can supply roughly 148k homes. It ranks #2986 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 754,790 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 176k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

90Source-backed capacity
519GWh reported / yr
148,200homes powered
754,790t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010746.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCovanta Delaware Valley WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates39.8265, -75.3882 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity90 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCovanta Delaware Valley LP WRI
Commissioned1991 WRI
GWh reported / yr519 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions754,790 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2986 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#17 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers13.64× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent148,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.3°C · HDD 2,580 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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 90 MW, Covanta Delaware Valley 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.

~754,790 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

176kpassenger cars driven for a year
98khomes' yearly energy use
13 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 560 GWh20132014: 547 GWh20142015: 594 GWh20152016: 604 GWh20162017: 645 GWh20172018: 629 GWh20182019: 519 GWh2019645 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Covanta Delaware Valley LP.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. 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 #17 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 39.8265, -75.3882 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Covanta Delaware Valley?

Covanta Delaware Valley is a 90 MW source-record waste power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 1991.

How much electricity does Covanta Delaware Valley generate?

Covanta Delaware Valley generates about 519 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Covanta Delaware Valley power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 148,200 homes.

Who operates Covanta Delaware Valley?

Covanta Delaware Valley is operated by Covanta Delaware Valley LP.

How much CO₂ does Covanta Delaware Valley emit?

Covanta Delaware Valley has modelled emissions of about 754,790 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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