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Richmond Generating Station — United States of America

Oil power plant in New Jersey, United States of America. Approximate location 39.9845, -75.0752.

OilNew JerseyUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Richmond Generating Station is a 131.6 MW oil power station in New Jersey, United States of America. It is operated by Exelon Power. Based on reported annual generation of 1 GWh, it can supply roughly 257 homes. It ranks #2426 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1973, it is around 53 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 86,434 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 20k cars driven for a year. In context, oil supplies about 0.7% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

131.6MW installed capacity
1GWh reported / yr
257homes powered
86,434t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1973commissioned (~53 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003168.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRichmond Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New Jersey WRI
Coordinates39.9845, -75.0752 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity131.6 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000409269; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerExelon Power WRI
Commissioned1973 WRI
GWh reported / yr1 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions86,434 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2426 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#52 / 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers18.28× · 7.2 MW · n=902 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent257 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.7°C · HDD 2,487 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 39/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000409269; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 131.6 MW, Richmond Generating Station is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7.2 MW). Oil-fired plants burn heavy fuel oil or diesel, usually as peaking or backup capacity on islands and grids without gas pipelines; high fuel cost keeps their utilisation low.

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

~86,434 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

201kbarrels of crude oil burned
12khomes' total energy use for a year
86kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.01%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Key facts

Load factor
0%, from 1 GWh of reported generation, in line with the 0% median for 469 oil plants in United States of America
Generation trend
3 GWh in 2013 and 1 GWh in 2019 (−67%)
Highest and lowest year
2015: 14 GWh; 2016: 1 GWh
Share of United States of America oil capacity
0.3% of 40,022 MW across 902 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
174 of 877 dated oil plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 3 GWh20132014: 12 GWh20142015: 14 GWh20152016: 1 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 13 GWh20182019: 1 GWh201914 GWh

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

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.7°Cannual mean temp
2,487heating degree-days (base 18°C)
593cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
13 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 1% 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: 50/100 — this site sits in the mid 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

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)
39/100environmental-severity index
24.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
91 kmdistance to coast

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 #52 largest oil power plant of 902 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 902 oil power plants in this dataset, together about 40,022 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.9845, -75.0752 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Richmond Generating Station?

Richmond Generating Station is a 131.6 MW oil power plant in New Jersey, United States of America, commissioned in 1973.

How much electricity does Richmond Generating Station generate?

Richmond Generating Station generates about 1 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Richmond Generating Station?

Richmond Generating Station is operated by Exelon Power.

How much CO₂ does Richmond Generating Station emit?

Richmond Generating Station has modelled emissions of about 86,434 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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