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River Road Gen Plant

Gas power plant in Washington, United States of America. Approximate location 45.6497, -122.7256.

GasWashingtonUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

River Road Gen Plant is a 248 MW gas power station in Washington, United States of America. It is operated by PUD No 1 of Clark County - (WA). Based on reported annual generation of 1,746 GWh, it can supply roughly 499k homes. It ranks #1819 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 700,250 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 163k 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).

248Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,746GWh reported / yr
498,942homes powered
700,250t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007605.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRiver Road Gen Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Washington WRI
Coordinates45.6497, -122.7256 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity248 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPUD No 1 of Clark County - (WA) WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,746 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions700,250 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1819 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#851 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.05× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent498,942 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.9°C · HDD 2,338 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 29/100 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.

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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000402237); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 248 MW, River Road Gen Plant 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.

700,250 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

163kpassenger cars driven for a year
91khomes' yearly energy use
12 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: 1,730 GWh20132014: 1,577 GWh20142015: 1,812 GWh20152016: 1,441 GWh20162017: 1,260 GWh20172018: 1,193 GWh20182019: 1,746 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by PUD No 1 of Clark County - (WA).

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 warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.9°Cannual mean temp
2,338heating degree-days (base 18°C)
119cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
54 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 5 °CJF: 6 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 12 °CON: 8 °CND: 5 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 5% 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: 48/100 — 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)
29/100environmental-severity index
15.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
116 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 #851 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 45.6497, -122.7256 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is River Road Gen Plant?

River Road Gen Plant is a 248 MW source-record gas power plant in Washington, United States of America, commissioned in 1998.

How much electricity does River Road Gen Plant generate?

River Road Gen Plant generates about 1,746 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can River Road Gen Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 498,942 homes.

Who operates River Road Gen Plant?

River Road Gen Plant is operated by PUD No 1 of Clark County - (WA).

How much CO₂ does River Road Gen Plant emit?

River Road Gen Plant has measured emissions of about 700,250 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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