Pioneer

Hydro power plant in Utah, United States of America. Approximate location 41.2436, -111.9465.

HydroUtahUnited States of America

Pioneer is a 5 MW hydro power plant in Utah, United States of America. It is operated by PacifiCorp. Based on reported annual generation of 21 GWh, it can supply roughly 6.1k homes. It ranks #7017 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1910, it is around 116 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

5Source-backed capacity
21GWh reported / yr
6,114homes powered
1910commissioned (~116 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003656.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPioneer WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Utah WRI
Coordinates41.2436, -111.9465 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity5 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPacifiCorp WRI
Commissioned1910 WRI
GWh reported / yr21 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#7017 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#869 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.62× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent6,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.6°C · HDD 3,633 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 30/100 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 5 MW, Pioneer 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: 8 GWh20132014: 9 GWh20142015: 10 GWh20152016: 11 GWh20162017: 27 GWh20172018: 9 GWh20182019: 21 GWh201927 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by PacifiCorp. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.6°Cannual mean temp
3,633heating degree-days (base 18°C)
209cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,686 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 2 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 79/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
30/100environmental-severity index
24.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
953 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 #869 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 41.2436, -111.9465 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Pioneer?

Pioneer is a 5 MW source-record hydro power plant in Utah, United States of America, commissioned in 1910.

How much electricity does Pioneer generate?

Pioneer generates about 21 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Pioneer power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 6,114 homes.

Who operates Pioneer?

Pioneer is operated by PacifiCorp.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.