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Radford Army Ammunition Plant

Gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 37.1804, -80.5428.

GasVirginiaUnited States of America

Radford Army Ammunition Plant is a 18 MW gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by U S Army-Radford. Based on reported annual generation of 28 GWh, it can supply roughly 8.1k homes. It ranks #4996 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 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).

18Source-backed capacity
28GWh reported / yr
8,142homes powered
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0052072.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRadford Army Ammunition Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Virginia WRI
Coordinates37.1804, -80.5428 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity18 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerU S Army-Radford WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
GWh reported / yr28 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions11,400 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#4996 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1654 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.15× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,142 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.4°C · HDD 2,668 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 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 18 MW, Radford Army Ammunition Plant 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: 29 GWh20132014: 24 GWh20142015: 30 GWh20152016: 30 GWh20162017: 25 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 28 GWh201930 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by U S Army-Radford.

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 temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.4°Cannual mean temp
2,668heating degree-days (base 18°C)
292cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
656 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 9% 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: 54/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
22.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
435 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 #1654 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 37.1804, -80.5428 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Radford Army Ammunition Plant?

Radford Army Ammunition Plant is a 18 MW source-record gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does Radford Army Ammunition Plant generate?

Radford Army Ammunition Plant generates about 28 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Radford Army Ammunition Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,142 homes.

Who operates Radford Army Ammunition Plant?

Radford Army Ammunition Plant is operated by U S Army-Radford.

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