Shawville

Gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 41.0675, -78.3662.

GasPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaSteamCO₂ measured

Shawville is a 632 MW gas power station in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Shawville Power LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 271 GWh, it can supply roughly 78k homes. It ranks #1061 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1957, it is around 69 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 956,343 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 223k 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).

632Source-backed capacity
271GWh reported / yr
77,514homes powered
956,343t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1957commissioned (~69 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003131.

Data status

Known data

FacilityShawville WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates41.0675, -78.3662 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity632 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerShawville Power LLC WRI
Commissioned1957 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr271 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions956,343 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1061 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#457 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.21× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent77,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.5°C · HDD 3,571 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 30/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 632 MW, Shawville is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

956,343 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

223kpassenger cars driven for a year
125khomes' yearly energy use
16 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: 1,583 GWh20132014: 2,329 GWh20142015: 917 GWh20152016: 180 GWh20162017: 1,284 GWh20172018: 539 GWh20182019: 271 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Shawville Power LLC.

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 humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.5°Cannual mean temp
3,571heating degree-days (base 18°C)
139cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
512 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD20 °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.

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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
30/100environmental-severity index
25.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
204 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 #457 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 41.0675, -78.3662 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Shawville?

Shawville is a 632 MW source-record gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 1957.

How much electricity does Shawville generate?

Shawville generates about 271 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Shawville power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 77,514 homes.

Who operates Shawville?

Shawville is operated by Shawville Power LLC.

How much CO₂ does Shawville emit?

Shawville has measured emissions of about 956,343 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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