Encogen

Gas power plant in Washington, United States of America. Approximate location 48.746, -122.486.

GasWashingtonUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Encogen is a 176 MW gas power station in Washington, United States of America. It is operated by Puget Sound Energy Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 401 GWh, it can supply roughly 115k homes. It ranks #2152 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 427,032 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 100k 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).

176Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
401GWh reported / yr
114,657homes powered
427,032t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007870.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEncogen WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Washington WRI
Coordinates48.746, -122.486 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity176 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPuget Sound Energy Inc WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr401 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions427,032 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2152 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#952 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.46× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent114,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.9°C · HDD 2,935 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 23/100 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 (location L100000402239); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 176 MW, Encogen 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.

427,032 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

100kpassenger cars driven for a year
56khomes' yearly energy use
7.1 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

2013: 284 GWh20132014: 220 GWh20142015: 300 GWh20152016: 213 GWh20162017: 202 GWh20172018: 200 GWh20182019: 401 GWh2019401 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Puget Sound Energy Inc. 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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 48.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
2,935heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
117 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 10 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 61/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
23/100environmental-severity index
13.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
175 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 #952 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 48.746, -122.486 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Encogen?

Encogen is a 176 MW source-record gas power plant in Washington, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Encogen generate?

Encogen generates about 401 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Encogen power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 114,657 homes.

Who operates Encogen?

Encogen is operated by Puget Sound Energy Inc.

How much CO₂ does Encogen emit?

Encogen has measured emissions of about 427,032 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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