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Quinebaug Lower Project

Hydro power plant in Connecticut, United States of America. Approximate location 41.7987, -71.8868.

HydroConnecticutUnited States of America

Quinebaug Lower Project is a 2 MW hydro power plant in Connecticut, United States of America. It is operated by Quinebaug Associates LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 9 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.5k homes. It ranks #8565 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. 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).

2Source-backed capacity
9GWh reported / yr
2,457homes powered
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055860.

Data status

Known data

FacilityQuinebaug Lower Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Connecticut WRI
Coordinates41.7987, -71.8868 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity2 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerQuinebaug Associates LLC WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
GWh reported / yr9 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#8565 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1124 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.31× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,457 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,458 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2 MW, Quinebaug Lower Project 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: 6 GWh20132014: 7 GWh20142015: 5 GWh20152016: 5 GWh20162017: 7 GWh20172018: 10 GWh20182019: 9 GWh201910 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Quinebaug Associates LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,458heating degree-days (base 18°C)
179cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
166 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 41% 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: 75/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
24.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
101 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 #1124 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 41.7987, -71.8868 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Quinebaug Lower Project?

Quinebaug Lower Project is a 2 MW source-record hydro power plant in Connecticut, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does Quinebaug Lower Project generate?

Quinebaug Lower Project generates about 9 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Quinebaug Lower Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,457 homes.

Who operates Quinebaug Lower Project?

Quinebaug Lower Project is operated by Quinebaug Associates LLC.

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