North Valmy

Coal power plant in Nevada, United States of America. Approximate location 40.8813, -117.1516.

CoalNevadaUnited States of AmericaPre Construction

North Valmy is a 567 MW coal power station in Nevada, United States of America. It is operated by Sierra Pacific Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 1,699 GWh, it can supply roughly 485k homes. It ranks #1174 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. 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).

567Source-backed capacity
1,699GWh reported / yr
485,342homes powered
1983Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008224.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNorth Valmy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Nevada WRI
Coordinates40.8813, -117.1516 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity567 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSierra Pacific Power Co WRI
Commissioned1983 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,699 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,698,700 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1174 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#395 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.02× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent485,342 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.8°C · HDD 3,256 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 36/100 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 (location L100000104045); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 567 MW, North Valmy is around the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 2,530 GWh20132014: 2,756 GWh20142015: 1,425 GWh20152016: 971 GWh20162017: 653 GWh20172018: 1,450 GWh20182019: 1,699 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Sierra Pacific Power Co.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.8°Cannual mean temp
3,256heating degree-days (base 18°C)
271cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,471 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -1 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% 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: 70/100 — 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

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)
36/100environmental-severity index
24.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
651 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 #395 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 40.8813, -117.1516 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is North Valmy?

North Valmy is a 567 MW source-record coal power plant in Nevada, United States of America, planned/announced for 1983.

How much electricity does North Valmy generate?

North Valmy generates about 1,699 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can North Valmy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 485,342 homes.

Who operates North Valmy?

North Valmy is operated by Sierra Pacific Power Co.

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