Geothermal 2

Geothermal power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 38.7492, -122.7117.

GeothermalCaliforniaUnited States of America

Geothermal 2 is a 110 MW geothermal power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Northern California Power Agny. Based on reported annual generation of 331 GWh, it can supply roughly 95k homes. It ranks #2669 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 0.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

110Source-backed capacity
331GWh reported / yr
94,628homes powered
1986commissioned (~40 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007369.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGeothermal 2 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates38.7492, -122.7117 WRI
FuelGeothermal WRI
MW installed capacity110 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNorthern California Power Agny WRI
Commissioned1986 WRI
GWh reported / yr331 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2669 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#4 of 65 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.67× · 30 MW median · 65 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent94,628 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.0°C · HDD 1,671 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 31/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 110 MW, Geothermal 2 is well above the median geothermal plant in United States of America (30 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 365 GWh20132014: 371 GWh20142015: 366 GWh20152016: 344 GWh20162017: 355 GWh20172018: 352 GWh20182019: 331 GWh2019371 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Northern California Power Agny.

Local climate & thermal context

This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.0°Cannual mean temp
1,671heating degree-days (base 18°C)
236cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
395 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 10 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 16 °CON: 11 °CND: 8 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% 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: 37/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
13.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
73 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 #4 largest geothermal power plant of 65 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 65 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 3,889 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.7492, -122.7117 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Geothermal 2?

Geothermal 2 is a 110 MW source-record geothermal power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1986.

How much electricity does Geothermal 2 generate?

Geothermal 2 generates about 331 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Geothermal 2 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 94,628 homes.

Who operates Geothermal 2?

Geothermal 2 is operated by Northern California Power Agny.

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