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Indian River Generating Station

Coal power plant in Delaware, United States of America. Approximate location 38.5857, -75.2341.

CoalDelawareUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Indian River Generating Station is a 464 MW coal power station in Delaware, United States of America. It is operated by Indian River Operations Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 121 GWh, it can supply roughly 35k homes. It ranks #1335 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1979, it is around 47 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 29,807 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 6.9k 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).

464Source-backed capacity
121GWh reported / yr
34,600homes powered
29,807t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1979commissioned (~47 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000594.

Data status

Known data

FacilityIndian River Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Delaware WRI
Coordinates38.5857, -75.2341 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity464 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerIndian River Operations Inc WRI
Commissioned1979 WRI
GWh reported / yr121 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions29,807 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1335 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#432 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.83× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent34,600 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.4°C · HDD 2,249 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 47/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 464 MW, Indian River Generating Station is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). 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.

29,807 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

6.9kpassenger cars driven for a year
3.9khomes' yearly energy use
497ktree 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: 1,555 GWh20132014: 873 GWh20142015: 603 GWh20152016: 477 GWh20162017: 366 GWh20172018: 280 GWh20182019: 121 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Indian River Operations Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.4°Cannual mean temp
2,249heating degree-days (base 18°C)
581cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
5 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD25 °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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
47/100environmental-severity index
22.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
9 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 #432 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 38.5857, -75.2341 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Indian River Generating Station?

Indian River Generating Station is a 464 MW source-record coal power plant in Delaware, United States of America, commissioned in 1979.

How much electricity does Indian River Generating Station generate?

Indian River Generating Station generates about 121 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Indian River Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 34,600 homes.

Who operates Indian River Generating Station?

Indian River Generating Station is operated by Indian River Operations Inc.

How much CO₂ does Indian River Generating Station emit?

Indian River Generating Station has measured emissions of about 29,807 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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