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FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station

Coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 39.3842, -80.3325.

CoalWest VirginiaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station is a 2,052 MW coal power station in West Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by Monongahela Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 12,894 GWh, it can supply roughly 3.7 million homes. It ranks #204 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 11,179,958 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 2.6 million cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2,052Source-backed capacity
12,894GWh reported / yr
3,684,057homes powered
11,179,958t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003944.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFirstEnergy Harrison Power Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · West Virginia WRI
Coordinates39.3842, -80.3325 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,052 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMonongahela Power Co WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
GWh reported / yr12,894 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions11,179,958 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#204 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#53 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.68× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,684,057 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.0°C · HDD 2,856 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 L100000104252); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,052 MW, FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

11,179,958 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

2.6 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
1.5 millionhomes' yearly energy use
186 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: 12,707 GWh20132014: 12,846 GWh20142015: 11,270 GWh20152016: 12,890 GWh20162017: 13,043 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 12,894 GWh201913k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Monongahela Power Co.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.0°Cannual mean temp
2,856heating degree-days (base 18°C)
316cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
367 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 16% 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: 59/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
23.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
263 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 #53 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.3842, -80.3325 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station?

FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station is a 2,052 MW source-record coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 1974.

How much electricity does FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station generate?

FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station generates about 12,894 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,684,057 homes.

Who operates FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station?

FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station is operated by Monongahela Power Co.

How much CO₂ does FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station emit?

FirstEnergy Harrison Power Station has measured emissions of about 11,179,958 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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