Paradise

Gas power plant in Kentucky, United States of America. Approximate location 37.2608, -86.9783.

GasKentuckyUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Paradise is a 2,310 MW gas power station in Kentucky, United States of America. It is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. Based on reported annual generation of 9,501 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.7 million homes. It ranks #159 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 2,534,934 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 591k cars driven for a year. 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).

2,310Legacy source-record capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
9,501GWh reported / yr
2,714,485homes powered
2,534,934t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001378.

Data status

Known data

FacilityParadise WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kentucky WRI
Coordinates37.2608, -86.9783 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity2,310 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTennessee Valley Authority WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr9,501 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions2,534,934 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#159 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#30 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers19.06× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,714,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.7°C · HDD 2,220 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,910 MW for Paradise Fossil Plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,310 MW, Paradise is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

2,534,934 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

591kpassenger cars driven for a year
331khomes' yearly energy use
42 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 11,901 GWh20132014: 13,335 GWh20142015: 12,008 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 6,407 GWh20172018: 9,702 GWh20182019: 9,501 GWh201913k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. All plants by this company →

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.7°Cannual mean temp
2,220heating degree-days (base 18°C)
674cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
139 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 9 °CND: 4 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 10% 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: 46/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
24.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
478 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 #30 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 37.2608, -86.9783 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Paradise?

Paradise is a 2,310 MW source-record gas power plant in Kentucky, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Paradise generate?

Paradise generates about 9,501 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Paradise power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,714,485 homes.

Who operates Paradise?

Paradise is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority.

How much CO₂ does Paradise emit?

Paradise has measured emissions of about 2,534,934 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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