Mayo

Coal power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 36.5278, -78.8917.

CoalNorth CarolinaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Mayo is a 736 MW coal power station in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Progress - (NC). Based on reported annual generation of 1,526 GWh, it can supply roughly 436k homes. It ranks #906 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,369,520 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 319k 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).

736Source-backed capacity
1,526GWh reported / yr
435,857homes powered
1,369,520t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1983commissioned (~43 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006250.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMayo WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates36.5278, -78.8917 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity736 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDuke Energy Progress - (NC) WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,526 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,369,520 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#906 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#312 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.32× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent435,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.3°C · HDD 1,983 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000104083); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 736 MW, Mayo is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). 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.

1,369,520 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

319kpassenger cars driven for a year
179khomes' yearly energy use
23 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: 2,639 GWh20132014: 2,584 GWh20142015: 2,902 GWh20152016: 2,010 GWh20162017: 1,426 GWh20172018: 1,491 GWh20182019: 1,526 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Duke Energy Progress - (NC). All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.3°Cannual mean temp
1,983heating degree-days (base 18°C)
657cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
164 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 10 °CND: 5 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% 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: 43/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
22.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
274 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 #312 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 36.5278, -78.8917 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mayo?

Mayo is a 736 MW source-record coal power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 1983.

How much electricity does Mayo generate?

Mayo generates about 1,526 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Mayo power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 435,857 homes.

Who operates Mayo?

Mayo is operated by Duke Energy Progress - (NC).

How much CO₂ does Mayo emit?

Mayo has measured emissions of about 1,369,520 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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