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Kings Mountain Energy Center

Gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.2025, -81.3631.

GasNorth CarolinaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Kings Mountain Energy Center is a 544 MW gas power station in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by NTE Carolinas LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2,977 GWh, it can supply roughly 851k homes. It ranks #1216 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. 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).

544Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
2,977GWh reported / yr
850,514homes powered
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0059325.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKings Mountain Energy Center WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates35.2025, -81.3631 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity544 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNTE Carolinas LLC WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,977 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,190,720 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1216 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#550 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.49× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent850,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.2°C · HDD 1,755 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 (location L100000402150); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 544 MW, Kings Mountain Energy Center is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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

2018: 1,286 GWh20182019: 2,977 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NTE Carolinas LLC.

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 35.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.2°Cannual mean temp
1,755heating degree-days (base 18°C)
749cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
214 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 6 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 29% 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: 39/100 — 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)
35/100environmental-severity index
21.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
298 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 #550 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 35.2025, -81.3631 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kings Mountain Energy Center?

Kings Mountain Energy Center is a 544 MW source-record gas power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 2018.

How much electricity does Kings Mountain Energy Center generate?

Kings Mountain Energy Center generates about 2,977 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Kings Mountain Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 850,514 homes.

Who operates Kings Mountain Energy Center?

Kings Mountain Energy Center is operated by NTE Carolinas LLC.

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