Seneca Energy

Waste power plant in New York, United States of America. Approximate location 42.9281, -76.8408.

WasteNew YorkUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Seneca Energy is a 18 MW waste power plant in New York, United States of America. It is operated by Seneca Energy II. Based on reported annual generation of 103 GWh, it can supply roughly 30k homes. It ranks #5023 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2000, it is around 26 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 25,576 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 6.0k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

18Source-backed capacity
103GWh reported / yr
29,542homes powered
25,576t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2000commissioned (~26 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054782.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySeneca Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New York WRI
Coordinates42.9281, -76.8408 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity18 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSeneca Energy II WRI
Commissioned2000 WRI
GWh reported / yr103 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions25,576 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#5023 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#164 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.67× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent29,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.8°C · HDD 3,569 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 30/100 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, Seneca Energy is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

~25,576 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

6.0kpassenger cars driven for a year
3.3khomes' yearly energy use
426ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 141 GWh20132014: 142 GWh20142015: 140 GWh20152016: 134 GWh20162017: 122 GWh20172018: 107 GWh20182019: 103 GWh2019142 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Seneca Energy II.

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.8°Cannual mean temp
3,569heating degree-days (base 18°C)
218cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
140 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 5 °CND: -1 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 45% 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: 77/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
30/100environmental-severity index
26.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
272 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 #164 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 42.9281, -76.8408 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Seneca Energy?

Seneca Energy is a 18 MW source-record waste power plant in New York, United States of America, commissioned in 2000.

How much electricity does Seneca Energy generate?

Seneca Energy generates about 103 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Seneca Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 29,542 homes.

Who operates Seneca Energy?

Seneca Energy is operated by Seneca Energy II.

How much CO₂ does Seneca Energy emit?

Seneca Energy has modelled emissions of about 25,576 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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