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Northeastern Illinois University Cogen

Gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 41.9811, -87.7192.

GasIllinoisUnited States of America

Northeastern Illinois University Cogen is a 3 MW gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Northeastern Illinois University. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 3.6k homes (estimated). It ranks #8026 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 years old — long-established. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

3Source-backed capacity
3,604homes powered (est.)
1995commissioned (~31 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058245.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNortheastern Illinois University Cogen WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates41.9811, -87.7192 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity3 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNortheastern Illinois University WRI
Commissioned1995 WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions5,046 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#8026 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#2015 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.03× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,604 calculated
Climate9.7°C · HDD 3,302 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 40/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 3 MW, Northeastern Illinois University Cogen is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 0 GWh20191 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Northeastern Illinois University.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.7°Cannual mean temp
3,302heating degree-days (base 18°C)
301cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
177 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 6 °CND: -1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 71/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
40/100environmental-severity index
26.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
38 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 #2015 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.9811, -87.7192 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Northeastern Illinois University Cogen?

Northeastern Illinois University Cogen is a 3 MW source-record gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 1995.

How many homes can Northeastern Illinois University Cogen power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,604 homes (estimated).

Who operates Northeastern Illinois University Cogen?

Northeastern Illinois University Cogen is operated by Northeastern Illinois University.

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