South Cairo

Oil power plant in New York, United States of America. Approximate location 42.2913, -73.9865.

OilNew YorkUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

South Cairo is a 21 MW oil power plant in New York, United States of America. It is operated by Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp. Based on reported annual generation of 0 GWh, it can supply roughly 28 homes. It ranks #4651 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1970, it is around 56 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 2,528 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 589 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).

21Source-backed capacity
0GWh reported / yr
28homes powered
2,528t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1970commissioned (~56 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002485.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySouth Cairo WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New York WRI
Coordinates42.2913, -73.9865 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity21 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCentral Hudson Gas & Elec Corp WRI
Commissioned1970 WRI
GWh reported / yr0 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions2,528 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4651 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#207 of 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.96× · 7 MW median · 902 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent28 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.0°C · HDD 3,498 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 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 21 MW, South Cairo is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7 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.

~2,528 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

589passenger cars driven for a year
330homes' yearly energy use
42ktree 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: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 0 GWh20190 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.0°Cannual mean temp
3,498heating degree-days (base 18°C)
244cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
94 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 76/100 — 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)
31/100environmental-severity index
26.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
216 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 #207 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 42.2913, -73.9865 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is South Cairo?

South Cairo is a 21 MW source-record oil power plant in New York, United States of America, commissioned in 1970.

How much electricity does South Cairo generate?

South Cairo generates about 0 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can South Cairo power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 28 homes.

Who operates South Cairo?

South Cairo is operated by Central Hudson Gas & Elec Corp.

How much CO₂ does South Cairo emit?

South Cairo has modelled emissions of about 2,528 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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