Home / North America / United States of America / Louisa Generation Facility

Louisa Generation Facility — United States of America

Gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 38.1181, -78.2139.

GasVirginiaUnited States of America

Louisa Generation Facility is a 511 MW gas power station in Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by Old Dominion Electric Coop. Based on reported annual generation of 487 GWh, it can supply roughly 139k homes. It ranks #1209 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 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).

511MW installed capacity
487GWh reported / yr
139,085homes powered
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007837.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLouisa Generation Facility WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Virginia WRI
Coordinates38.1181, -78.2139 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity511 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000402168; operating plant capacity
OwnerOld Dominion Electric Coop WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
GWh reported / yr487 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions194,720 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#1209 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#580 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.22× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent139,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.2°C · HDD 2,304 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000402168; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 511 MW, Louisa Generation Facility is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). 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
11%, from 487 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
125 GWh in 2013 and 487 GWh in 2019 (+289%)
Highest and lowest year
2018: 537 GWh; 2013: 125 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
1,160 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: 125 GWh20132014: 187 GWh20142015: 395 GWh20152016: 361 GWh20162017: 254 GWh20172018: 537 GWh20182019: 487 GWh2019537 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Old Dominion Electric Coop.

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 38.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.2°Cannual mean temp
2,304heating degree-days (base 18°C)
558cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
133 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 6% 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: 48/100 — 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

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)
34/100environmental-severity index
23.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
236 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 #580 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 38.1181, -78.2139 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Louisa Generation Facility?

Louisa Generation Facility is a 511 MW gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does Louisa Generation Facility generate?

Louisa Generation Facility generates about 487 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Louisa Generation Facility?

Louisa Generation Facility is operated by Old Dominion Electric Coop.

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