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Hopewell Cogeneration — United States of America

Gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 37.2917, -77.2811.

GasVirginiaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Hopewell Cogeneration is a 399 MW gas power station in Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by Luminant Generation Company LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 1,495 GWh, it can supply roughly 427k homes. It ranks #1383 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 494,746 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 115k 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).

399MW installed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,495GWh reported / yr
427,257homes powered
494,746t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010633.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHopewell Cogeneration WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Virginia WRI
Coordinates37.2917, -77.2811 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity399 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000402476; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerLuminant Generation Company LLC WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,495 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions494,746 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1383 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#674 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.29× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent427,257 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.7°C · HDD 1,932 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000402476; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 399 MW, Hopewell Cogeneration is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 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.

494,746 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

9.0kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
115kgasoline cars driven for a year
495kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.07%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
43%, from 1,495 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
817 GWh in 2013 and 1,495 GWh in 2019 (+83%)
Highest and lowest year
2019: 1,495 GWh; 2013: 817 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
533 of 1,973 dated gas 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

2013: 817 GWh20132014: 1,017 GWh20142015: 1,472 GWh20152016: 1,200 GWh20162017: 1,105 GWh20172018: 1,434 GWh20182019: 1,495 GWh20191k GWh

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

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.7°Cannual mean temp
1,932heating degree-days (base 18°C)
736cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
33 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 21% 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: 42/100 — 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

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
22.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
145 kmdistance to coast

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 #674 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 37.2917, -77.2811 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hopewell Cogeneration?

Hopewell Cogeneration is a 399 MW gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does Hopewell Cogeneration generate?

Hopewell Cogeneration generates about 1,495 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Hopewell Cogeneration?

Hopewell Cogeneration is operated by Luminant Generation Company LLC.

How much CO₂ does Hopewell Cogeneration emit?

Hopewell Cogeneration has measured emissions of about 494,746 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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