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Hutchinson Energy Center

Gas power plant in Kansas, United States of America. Approximate location 38.0906, -97.8747.

GasKansasUnited States of AmericaOCGT

Hutchinson Energy Center is a 283 MW gas power station in Kansas, United States of America. It is operated by Evergy Kansas Central Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 8 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.2k homes. It ranks #1694 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

283Source-backed capacity
8GWh reported / yr
2,200homes powered
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001248.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHutchinson Energy Center WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kansas WRI
Coordinates38.0906, -97.8747 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity283 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEvergy Kansas Central Inc WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr8 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions3,080 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1694 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#806 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.33× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.2°C · HDD 2,516 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 37/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000401931); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 283 MW, Hutchinson Energy Center is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 20 GWh20132014: 47 GWh20142015: 31 GWh20152016: 8 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 6 GWh20182019: 8 GWh201947 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Evergy Kansas Central Inc.

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 38.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.2°Cannual mean temp
2,516heating degree-days (base 18°C)
798cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
457 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 2% 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

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)
37/100environmental-severity index
28.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
1169 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 #806 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 38.0906, -97.8747 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hutchinson Energy Center?

Hutchinson Energy Center is a 283 MW source-record gas power plant in Kansas, United States of America, commissioned in 1974.

How much electricity does Hutchinson Energy Center generate?

Hutchinson Energy Center generates about 8 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Hutchinson Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,200 homes.

Who operates Hutchinson Energy Center?

Hutchinson Energy Center is operated by Evergy Kansas Central Inc.

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