Davis Besse

Nuclear power plant in Ohio, United States of America. Approximate location 41.5967, -83.0861.

NuclearOhioUnited States of America

Davis Besse is a 925 MW nuclear power station in Ohio, United States of America. It is operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company. Based on reported annual generation of 7,838 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.2 million homes. It ranks #712 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 17.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

925Source-backed capacity
7,838GWh reported / yr
2,239,285homes powered
1977commissioned (~49 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006149.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDavis Besse WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Ohio WRI
Coordinates41.5967, -83.0861 WRI
FuelNuclear WRI
MW installed capacity925 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company WRI
Commissioned1977 WRI
GWh reported / yr7,838 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#712 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#171 of 230 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.48× · 1,917 MW median · 230 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,239,285 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.9°C · HDD 3,285 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 L100000500127); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 925 MW, Davis Besse is below the median nuclear plant in United States of America (1,917 MW). Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 7,680 GWh20132014: 5,829 GWh20142015: 7,894 GWh20152016: 6,394 GWh20162017: 7,875 GWh20172018: 7,380 GWh20182019: 7,838 GWh20198k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company.

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
3,285heating degree-days (base 18°C)
348cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
173 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °CND: -1 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 71/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
27.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
51 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 #171 largest nuclear power plant of 230 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 230 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 427,888 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.5967, -83.0861 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Davis Besse?

Davis Besse is a 925 MW source-record nuclear power plant in Ohio, United States of America, commissioned in 1977.

How much electricity does Davis Besse generate?

Davis Besse generates about 7,838 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Davis Besse power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,239,285 homes.

Who operates Davis Besse?

Davis Besse is operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company.

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