Detroit

Hydro power plant in Oregon, United States of America. Approximate location 44.7224, -122.2511.

HydroOregonUnited States of America

Detroit is a 100 MW hydro power station in Oregon, United States of America. It is operated by USACE Northwestern Division. Based on reported annual generation of 248 GWh, it can supply roughly 71k homes. It ranks #2816 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1953, it is around 73 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

100Source-backed capacity
248GWh reported / yr
70,800homes powered
1953commissioned (~73 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003077.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDetroit WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Oregon WRI
Coordinates44.7224, -122.2511 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity100 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerUSACE Northwestern Division WRI
Commissioned1953 WRI
GWh reported / yr248 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2816 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#188 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers12.50× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent70,800 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.9°C · HDD 3,688 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 26/100 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 L100000603777); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 100 MW, Detroit is well above the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 277 GWh20132014: 372 GWh20142015: 222 GWh20152016: 282 GWh20162017: 360 GWh20172018: 379 GWh20182019: 248 GWh2019379 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by USACE Northwestern Division. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.9°Cannual mean temp
3,688heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
968 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 9 °CMJ: 12 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 16 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 9 °CON: 4 °CND: 1 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 50% 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: 80/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
26/100environmental-severity index
14.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
131 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 #188 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.7224, -122.2511 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Detroit?

Detroit is a 100 MW source-record hydro power plant in Oregon, United States of America, commissioned in 1953.

How much electricity does Detroit generate?

Detroit generates about 248 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Detroit power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 70,800 homes.

Who operates Detroit?

Detroit is operated by USACE Northwestern Division.

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