Jack McDonough — United States of America

Gas power plant in Georgia, United States of America. Approximate location 33.8239, -84.4758.

GasGeorgiaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGMitsubishi Power: M501G/M501GAC

Jack McDonough is a 2,848.4 MW gas power station in Georgia, United States of America. It is operated by Georgia Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 19,072 GWh, it can supply roughly 5.4 million homes. It ranks #38 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2010, it is around 16 years old — relatively modern. 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).

2,848.4MW installed capacity
3HRSG unit(s)
19,072GWh reported / yr
5,449,085homes powered
2010commissioned (~16 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000710.

Data status

Known data

FacilityJack McDonough WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Georgia WRI
Coordinates33.8239, -84.4758 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity2,848.4 MW WRI GPPD; source record
OwnerGeorgia Power Co WRI
Commissioned2010 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · Mitsubishi Power: M501G/M501GAC · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr19,072 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions7,628,720 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#38 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#10 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers23.50× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent5,449,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.5°C · HDD 1,444 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

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

Data provenance

Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.

capacity: WRI GPPD; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,848.4 MW, Jack McDonough 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); Mitsubishi Power: M501G/M501GAC. 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.

Key facts

Load factor
76%, from 19,072 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
17,320 GWh in 2016 and 19,072 GWh in 2019 (+10%)
Highest and lowest year
2019: 19,072 GWh; 2017: 16,329 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
0.4% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
1,464 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: 17,320 GWh20162017: 16,329 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 19,072 GWh201919k 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 33.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.5°Cannual mean temp
1,444heating degree-days (base 18°C)
921cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
287 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 8 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 16 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 17 °CON: 12 °CND: 7 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 41% 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: 33/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
20.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
368 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 #10 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 33.8239, -84.4758 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Jack McDonough?

Jack McDonough is a 2,848.4 MW gas power plant in Georgia, United States of America, commissioned in 2010.

How much electricity does Jack McDonough generate?

Jack McDonough generates about 19,072 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Jack McDonough?

Jack McDonough is operated by Georgia Power Co.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.