Harrington

Coal power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 35.2982, -101.7472.

CoalTexasUnited States of AmericaSteamCO₂ measured

Harrington is a 1,080 MW coal power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Southwestern Public Service Co. Based on reported annual generation of 3,735 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.1 million homes. It ranks #612 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 3,465,957 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 808k 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).

1,080Source-backed capacity
3,735GWh reported / yr
1,067,200homes powered
3,465,957t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006193.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHarrington WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates35.2982, -101.7472 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,080 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSouthwestern Public Service Co WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr3,735 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions3,465,957 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#612 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#233 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.94× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,067,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.7°C · HDD 2,236 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 40/100 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 L100000104199); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,080 MW, Harrington is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

3,465,957 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

808kpassenger cars driven for a year
452khomes' yearly energy use
58 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: 5,524 GWh20132014: 5,730 GWh20142015: 5,754 GWh20152016: 5,023 GWh20162017: 4,626 GWh20172018: 4,784 GWh20182019: 3,735 GWh20196k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Southwestern Public Service Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.7°Cannual mean temp
2,236heating degree-days (base 18°C)
680cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,077 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 7 °CND: 3 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 9% 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: 47/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
24.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
934 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 #233 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 35.2982, -101.7472 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Harrington?

Harrington is a 1,080 MW source-record coal power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1978.

How much electricity does Harrington generate?

Harrington generates about 3,735 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Harrington power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,067,200 homes.

Who operates Harrington?

Harrington is operated by Southwestern Public Service Co.

How much CO₂ does Harrington emit?

Harrington has measured emissions of about 3,465,957 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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