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Covanta Lake County Energy

Waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. Approximate location 28.7402, -81.8892.

WasteFloridaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Covanta Lake County Energy is a 16 MW waste power plant in Florida, United States of America. It is operated by Covanta Lake Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 77 GWh, it can supply roughly 22k homes. It ranks #5149 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 129,980 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 30k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

16Source-backed capacity
77GWh reported / yr
22,085homes powered
129,980t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050629.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCovanta Lake County Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Florida WRI
Coordinates28.7402, -81.8892 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity16 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCovanta Lake Inc WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
GWh reported / yr77 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions129,980 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5149 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#172 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.35× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate21.9°C · HDD 213 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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 Lake County 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.

~129,980 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

30kpassenger cars driven for a year
17khomes' yearly energy use
2.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 81 GWh20132014: 71 GWh20142015: 81 GWh20152016: 81 GWh20162017: 67 GWh20172018: 87 GWh20182019: 77 GWh201987 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Covanta Lake Inc.

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 28.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.9°Cannual mean temp
213heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,634cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
39 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 15 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 19 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 23 °CON: 19 °CND: 16 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 91% 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: 17/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
12.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
83 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 #172 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 28.7402, -81.8892 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Covanta Lake County Energy?

Covanta Lake County Energy is a 16 MW source-record waste power plant in Florida, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does Covanta Lake County Energy generate?

Covanta Lake County Energy generates about 77 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Covanta Lake County Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 22,085 homes.

Who operates Covanta Lake County Energy?

Covanta Lake County Energy is operated by Covanta Lake Inc.

How much CO₂ does Covanta Lake County Energy emit?

Covanta Lake County Energy has modelled emissions of about 129,980 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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