Robert A Reid

Gas power plant in Kentucky, United States of America. Approximate location 37.6461, -87.5019.

GasKentuckyUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Robert A Reid is a 195 MW gas power station in Kentucky, United States of America. It is operated by Big Rivers Electric Corp. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 219k homes (estimated). It ranks #2078 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 143,560 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 33k 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).

195Legacy source-record capacity
219,400homes powered (est.)
143,560t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1971commissioned (~55 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001383.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRobert A Reid WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kentucky WRI
Coordinates37.6461, -87.5019 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity195 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBig Rivers Electric Corp WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions143,560 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2078 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#923 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.61× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent219,400 calculated
Climate13.6°C · HDD 2,266 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 99 MW for Robert Reid Power Plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 195 MW, Robert A Reid is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

~143,560 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

33kpassenger cars driven for a year
19khomes' yearly energy use
2.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: -16 GWh20152016: -14 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: -10 GWh20190 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Big Rivers Electric Corp.

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.6°Cannual mean temp
2,266heating degree-days (base 18°C)
699cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
127 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 8% 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: 47/100 — 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)
35/100environmental-severity index
25.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
456 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 #923 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 37.6461, -87.5019 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Robert A Reid?

Robert A Reid is a 195 MW source-record gas power plant in Kentucky, United States of America, commissioned in 1971.

How many homes can Robert A Reid power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 219,400 homes (estimated).

Who operates Robert A Reid?

Robert A Reid is operated by Big Rivers Electric Corp.

How much CO₂ does Robert A Reid emit?

Robert A Reid has modelled emissions of about 143,560 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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