Covanta Haverhill

Waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. Approximate location 42.765, -71.1242.

WasteMassachusettsUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Covanta Haverhill is a 46 MW waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America. It is operated by Ogden Projects Inc-Haverhill. Based on reported annual generation of 338 GWh, it can supply roughly 97k homes. It ranks #3852 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 385,790 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 90k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

46Source-backed capacity
338GWh reported / yr
96,628homes powered
385,790t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050661.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCovanta Haverhill WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Massachusetts WRI
Coordinates42.765, -71.1242 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity46 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerOgden Projects Inc-Haverhill WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
GWh reported / yr338 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions385,790 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3852 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#74 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.97× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent96,628 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.1°C · HDD 3,450 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 39/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000813321); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 46 MW, Covanta Haverhill 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.

~385,790 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

90kpassenger cars driven for a year
50khomes' yearly energy use
6.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 340 GWh20132014: 337 GWh20142015: 329 GWh20152016: 332 GWh20162017: 311 GWh20172018: 336 GWh20182019: 338 GWh2019340 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Ogden Projects Inc-Haverhill.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.1°Cannual mean temp
3,450heating degree-days (base 18°C)
237cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
44 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: -1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 40% 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: 75/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
25.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
35 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 #74 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 42.765, -71.1242 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Covanta Haverhill?

Covanta Haverhill is a 46 MW source-record waste power plant in Massachusetts, United States of America, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does Covanta Haverhill generate?

Covanta Haverhill generates about 338 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Covanta Haverhill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 96,628 homes.

Who operates Covanta Haverhill?

Covanta Haverhill is operated by Ogden Projects Inc-Haverhill.

How much CO₂ does Covanta Haverhill emit?

Covanta Haverhill has modelled emissions of about 385,790 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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