Nine Canyon

Wind power plant in Washington, United States of America. Approximate location 46.0958, -119.0964.

WindWashingtonUnited States of America

Nine Canyon is a 96 MW wind power plant in Washington, United States of America. It is operated by Energy Northwest. Based on reported annual generation of 197 GWh, it can supply roughly 56k homes. It ranks #2917 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, wind supplies about 10.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

96Source-backed capacity
197GWh reported / yr
56,171homes powered
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007936.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNine Canyon WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Washington WRI
Coordinates46.0958, -119.0964 WRI
FuelWind WRI
MW installed capacity96 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEnergy Northwest WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
GWh reported / yr197 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2917 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#490 of 1139 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.42× · 68 MW median · 1139 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent56,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.0°C · HDD 2,833 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 35/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000906360); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 96 MW, Nine Canyon is well above the median wind plant in United States of America (68 MW). Wind turbines convert moving air into electricity; output is variable and site-dependent, and modern turbines deliver some of the lowest-cost new generation on many grids.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 225 GWh20132014: 244 GWh20142015: 211 GWh20152016: 246 GWh20162017: 213 GWh20172018: 238 GWh20182019: 197 GWh2019246 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Energy Northwest.

Local climate & thermal context

This wind plant converts the kinetic energy of wind into electricity through turbine rotors. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.0°Cannual mean temp
2,833heating degree-days (base 18°C)
296cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
360 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 5 °CND: 0 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% 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: 58/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
22.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
383 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 #490 largest wind power plant of 1139 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1139 wind power plants in this dataset, together about 104,873 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 46.0958, -119.0964 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Nine Canyon?

Nine Canyon is a 96 MW source-record wind power plant in Washington, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does Nine Canyon generate?

Nine Canyon generates about 197 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Nine Canyon power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 56,171 homes.

Who operates Nine Canyon?

Nine Canyon is operated by Energy Northwest.

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