Howard Down — United States of America

Gas power plant in New Jersey, United States of America. Approximate location 39.4889, -75.0347.

GasNew JerseyUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Howard Down is a 68.2 MW gas power plant in New Jersey, United States of America. It is operated by City of Vineland - (NJ). Based on reported annual generation of 80 GWh, it can supply roughly 23k homes. It ranks #3292 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 37,792 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 8.8k 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).

68.2MW installed capacity
80GWh reported / yr
22,971homes powered
37,792t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002434.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHoward Down WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New Jersey WRI
Coordinates39.4889, -75.0347 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity68.2 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000401814; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerCity of Vineland - (NJ) WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr80 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions37,792 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3292 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1265 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.56× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent22,971 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.3°C · HDD 2,537 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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 · L100000401814; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 68.2 MW, Howard Down is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

37,792 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

690million cubic feet of natural gas burned
7.9khomes' electricity use for a year
630ktree seedlings grown for 10 years

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
13%, from 80 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
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
1,518 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: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 80 GWh201980 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by City of Vineland - (NJ).

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 39.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.3°Cannual mean temp
2,537heating degree-days (base 18°C)
492cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
26 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 3% 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: 51/100 — 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)
43/100environmental-severity index
23.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
38 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 #1265 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 39.4889, -75.0347 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Howard Down?

Howard Down is a 68.2 MW gas power plant in New Jersey, United States of America, commissioned in 2012.

How much electricity does Howard Down generate?

Howard Down generates about 80 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Howard Down?

Howard Down is operated by City of Vineland - (NJ).

How much CO₂ does Howard Down emit?

Howard Down has measured emissions of about 37,792 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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