Home / North America / United States of America / Decatur Energy Center

Decatur Energy Center

Gas power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 34.6292, -87.0214.

GasAlabamaUnited States of America

Decatur Energy Center is a 902 MW gas power station in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by Decatur Energy Center LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2,145 GWh, it can supply roughly 612,800 homes. It ranks #362 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 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).

902MW installed capacity
2,145GWh reported / yr
612,800homes powered
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055292.

~857,920 t CO₂/yr (estimated) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

199,981passenger cars driven for a year
111,883homes' yearly energy use
14,298,667tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Estimated, not measured: from reported annual generation × a typical gas emission factor (~400 g CO₂/kWh, IPCC AR5 / US EIA). Actual emissions depend on plant efficiency and running hours.Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies.

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,097 GWh20132014: 992 GWh20142015: 1,487 GWh20152016: 2,600 GWh20162017: 2,079 GWh20172018: 2,703 GWh20182019: 2,145 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Decatur Energy Center 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 34.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.7°Cannual mean temp
1,693heating degree-days (base 18°C)
857cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
182 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 31% 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: 38/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #165 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 34.6292, -87.0214 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.