Dan River

Gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 36.4862, -79.7208.

GasNorth CarolinaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Dan River is a 698 MW gas power station in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 4,395 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.3 million homes. It ranks #959 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. 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).

698Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
4,395GWh reported / yr
1,255,657homes powered
2013commissioned (~13 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002723.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDan River WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates36.4862, -79.7208 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity698 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDuke Energy Carolinas LLC WRI
Commissioned2013 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr4,395 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,757,920 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#959 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#395 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.76× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,255,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.2°C · HDD 2,009 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 698 MW, Dan River 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 4,395 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC. All plants by this company →

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 36.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.2°Cannual mean temp
2,009heating degree-days (base 18°C)
653cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
203 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 18% 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: 43/100 — 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)
34/100environmental-severity index
22.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
334 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 #395 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 36.4862, -79.7208 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Dan River?

Dan River is a 698 MW source-record gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 2013.

How much electricity does Dan River generate?

Dan River generates about 4,395 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Dan River power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,255,657 homes.

Who operates Dan River?

Dan River is operated by Duke Energy Carolinas LLC.

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