FirstEnergy W H Sammis — United States of America
Coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 40.5317, -80.6319.
CoalWest VirginiaUnited States of America
FirstEnergy W H Sammis is a 2,468.1 MW coal power station in West Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by FirstEnergy Generation Corp. Based on reported annual generation of 3,957 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.1 million homes. It ranks #81 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1966, it is around 60 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002866.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD
In context: how this plant compares
At 2,468.1 MW, FirstEnergy W H Sammis 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.
Key facts
- Load factor
- 18%, from 3,957 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%
- Generation trend
- 12,406 GWh in 2013 and 3,957 GWh in 2019 (−68%)
- Highest and lowest year
- 2013: 12,406 GWh; 2019: 3,957 GWh
- Share of United States of America coal capacity
- 0.4% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 234 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Reported generation trend
Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by FirstEnergy Generation Corp.
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 63/100 — 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
This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.
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 #30 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
- Sammis Plant · Coal · 2,455.6 MW · Ohio
- South Field Energy power station · Gas · 1,210 MW · Ohio
- Shippingport nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 68 MW · Pennsylvania
- Beaver Valley · Nuclear · 1,917 MW · Pennsylvania
- Bruce Mansfield power station · Gas · 3,641.1 MW · Pennsylvania
- FirstEnergy Bruce Mansfield · Coal · 2,741.1 MW · Pennsylvania
Location
Coordinates 40.5317, -80.6319 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is FirstEnergy W H Sammis?
FirstEnergy W H Sammis is a 2,468.1 MW coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 1966.
How much electricity does FirstEnergy W H Sammis generate?
FirstEnergy W H Sammis generates about 3,957 GWh of electricity per year.
Who operates FirstEnergy W H Sammis?
FirstEnergy W H Sammis is operated by FirstEnergy Generation Corp.