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Longview Power Plant

Coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 39.7079, -79.959.

CoalWest VirginiaUnited States of AmericaPre ConstructionCO₂ measured

Longview Power Plant is a 808 MW coal power station in West Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by Longview Power LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 5,265 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes. It ranks #823 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 3,499,945 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 816k 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).

808Source-backed capacity
5,265GWh reported / yr
1,504,200homes powered
3,499,945t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2012Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056671.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLongview Power Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · West Virginia WRI
Coordinates39.7079, -79.959 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity808 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLongview Power LLC WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
GWh reported / yr5,265 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions3,499,945 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#823 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#286 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.45× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,504,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.6°C · HDD 2,962 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000104255); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 808 MW, Longview Power Plant is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

3,499,945 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

816kpassenger cars driven for a year
456khomes' yearly energy use
58 milliontree 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: 4,457 GWh20132014: 3,755 GWh20142015: 3,056 GWh20152016: 5,284 GWh20162017: 4,703 GWh20172018: 5,225 GWh20182019: 5,265 GWh20195k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Longview Power LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.6°Cannual mean temp
2,962heating degree-days (base 18°C)
275cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
442 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 21% 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: 62/100 — 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 a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
23.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
237 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 #286 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 39.7079, -79.959 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Longview Power Plant?

Longview Power Plant is a 808 MW source-record coal power plant in West Virginia, United States of America, planned/announced for 2012.

How much electricity does Longview Power Plant generate?

Longview Power Plant generates about 5,265 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Longview Power Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,504,200 homes.

Who operates Longview Power Plant?

Longview Power Plant is operated by Longview Power LLC.

How much CO₂ does Longview Power Plant emit?

Longview Power Plant has measured emissions of about 3,499,945 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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