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Metropolitan Sewerage District

Hydro power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. Approximate location 35.6497, -82.5992.

HydroNorth CarolinaUnited States of America

Metropolitan Sewerage District is a 2 MW hydro power plant in North Carolina, United States of America. It is operated by Metropolitan Sewerage District. Based on reported annual generation of 8 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.4k homes. It ranks #8613 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

2Source-backed capacity
8GWh reported / yr
2,400homes powered
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010181.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMetropolitan Sewerage District WRI
CountryUnited States of America · North Carolina WRI
Coordinates35.6497, -82.5992 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity2 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMetropolitan Sewerage District WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
GWh reported / yr8 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#8613 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1139 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.30× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,400 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.7°C · HDD 2,280 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 32/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2 MW, Metropolitan Sewerage District is below the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 9 GWh20132014: 10 GWh20142015: 7 GWh20152016: 9 GWh20162017: 6 GWh20172018: 8 GWh20182019: 8 GWh201910 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.7°Cannual mean temp
2,280heating degree-days (base 18°C)
365cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
720 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 13 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 7% 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: 47/100 — 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)
32/100environmental-severity index
20.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
390 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 #1139 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.6497, -82.5992 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Metropolitan Sewerage District?

Metropolitan Sewerage District is a 2 MW source-record hydro power plant in North Carolina, United States of America, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does Metropolitan Sewerage District generate?

Metropolitan Sewerage District generates about 8 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Metropolitan Sewerage District power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,400 homes.

Who operates Metropolitan Sewerage District?

Metropolitan Sewerage District is operated by Metropolitan Sewerage District.

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