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St Nicholas Cogen Project

Coal power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 40.8222, -76.1736.

CoalPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

St Nicholas Cogen Project is a 99 MW coal power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Schuylkill Energy Resource Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 600 GWh, it can supply roughly 172k homes. It ranks #2867 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,133,245 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 264k cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

99Source-backed capacity
600GWh reported / yr
171,571homes powered
1,133,245t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054634.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySt Nicholas Cogen Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates40.8222, -76.1736 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity99 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSchuylkill Energy Resource Inc WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
GWh reported / yr600 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions1,133,245 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2867 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#668 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.18× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent171,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.1°C · HDD 3,413 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000104163); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 99 MW, St Nicholas Cogen Project is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

1,133,245 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

264kpassenger cars driven for a year
148khomes' yearly energy use
19 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: 670 GWh20132014: 684 GWh20142015: 660 GWh20152016: 657 GWh20162017: 624 GWh20172018: 621 GWh20182019: 600 GWh2019684 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Schuylkill Energy Resource Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.1°Cannual mean temp
3,413heating degree-days (base 18°C)
195cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
361 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 5 °CND: 0 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 39% 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: 74/100 — 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
25.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
200 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 #668 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.8222, -76.1736 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is St Nicholas Cogen Project?

St Nicholas Cogen Project is a 99 MW source-record coal power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 1990.

How much electricity does St Nicholas Cogen Project generate?

St Nicholas Cogen Project generates about 600 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can St Nicholas Cogen Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 171,571 homes.

Who operates St Nicholas Cogen Project?

St Nicholas Cogen Project is operated by Schuylkill Energy Resource Inc.

How much CO₂ does St Nicholas Cogen Project emit?

St Nicholas Cogen Project has measured emissions of about 1,133,245 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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