J K Smith

Gas power plant in Kentucky, United States of America. Approximate location 37.8833, -84.1017.

GasKentuckyUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

J K Smith is a 1,055 MW gas power station in Kentucky, United States of America. It is operated by East Kentucky Power Coop Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 356 GWh, it can supply roughly 101,600 homes. It ranks #295 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 278,761 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 64,979 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).

1,055MW installed capacity
356GWh reported / yr
101,600homes powered
278,761t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000054.

278,761 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

64,979passenger cars driven for a year
36,354homes' yearly energy use
4,646,017tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 369 GWh20132014: 472 GWh20142015: 367 GWh20152016: 223 GWh20162017: 163 GWh20172018: 394 GWh20182019: 356 GWh2019472 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by East Kentucky Power Coop Inc. All plants by this company →

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 37.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.7°Cannual mean temp
2,429heating degree-days (base 18°C)
531cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
242 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 1% 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: 50/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #122 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 37.8833, -84.1017 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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