McGinness Hills — United States of America

McGinness Hills is a 100 MW geothermal power station in Nevada, United States of America. It is operated by Ormat Nevada Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 758 GWh, it can supply roughly 217k homes. It ranks #2772 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2013, it is around 13 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 0.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0057446.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 100 MW, McGinness Hills is well above the median geothermal plant in United States of America (30 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Load factor

87%, from 758 GWh of reported generation; the median for 60 geothermal plants in United States of America that report generation is 52%

Generation trend

327 GWh in 2013 and 758 GWh in 2019 (+132%)

Highest and lowest year

2017: 765 GWh; 2014: 326 GWh

Share of United States of America geothermal capacity

2.6% of 3,889 MW across 65 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

52 of 65 dated geothermal 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

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

Owner

Operated by Ormat Nevada Inc. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 59% 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: 83/100 — this site sits in the top 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

This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

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 #5 largest geothermal power plant of 65 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 65 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 3,889 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

• McGinness Hills 3 · Geothermal · 74 MW · Nevada
• Tungsten Mountain · Geothermal · 44.3 MW · Nevada
• Jersey Valley Geothermal Power Plant · Geothermal · 23.5 MW · Nevada
• Terra-Gen Dixie Valley · Geothermal · 70.9 MW · Nevada
• Beowawe Power · Geothermal · 20.6 MW · Nevada
• TS Power Plant · Coal · 242 MW · Nevada

Location

Coordinates 39.5911, -116.9119 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions