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CPV St Charles Energy Center

Gas power plant in Maryland, United States of America. Approximate location 38.5686, -76.8919.

GasMarylandUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

CPV St Charles Energy Center is a 775 MW gas power station in Maryland, United States of America. It is operated by CPV Maryland LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 4,198 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.2 million homes. It ranks #869 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2017, it is around 9 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 1,604,880 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 374k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

775Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
4,198GWh reported / yr
1,199,485homes powered
1,604,880t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2017commissioned (~9 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056846.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCPV St Charles Energy Center WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Maryland WRI
Coordinates38.5686, -76.8919 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity775 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCPV Maryland LLC WRI
Commissioned2017 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr4,198 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,604,880 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#869 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#344 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.39× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,199,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.5°C · HDD 2,229 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 operating-unit sum (location L100000401837); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 775 MW, CPV St Charles Energy Center is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

1,604,880 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

374kpassenger cars driven for a year
209khomes' yearly energy use
27 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2016: 4 GWh20162017: 3,822 GWh20172018: 4,308 GWh20182019: 4,198 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by CPV Maryland LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.5°Cannual mean temp
2,229heating degree-days (base 18°C)
620cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
40 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 9 °CND: 4 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 9% 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: 47/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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)
39/100environmental-severity index
23.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
136 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 #344 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.5686, -76.8919 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is CPV St Charles Energy Center?

CPV St Charles Energy Center is a 775 MW source-record gas power plant in Maryland, United States of America, commissioned in 2017.

How much electricity does CPV St Charles Energy Center generate?

CPV St Charles Energy Center generates about 4,198 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can CPV St Charles Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,199,485 homes.

Who operates CPV St Charles Energy Center?

CPV St Charles Energy Center is operated by CPV Maryland LLC.

How much CO₂ does CPV St Charles Energy Center emit?

CPV St Charles Energy Center has measured emissions of about 1,604,880 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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