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Sunnyside Cogen Associates

Coal power plant in Utah, United States of America. Approximate location 39.5472, -110.3917.

CoalUtahUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Sunnyside Cogen Associates is a 58 MW coal power plant in Utah, United States of America. It is operated by Sunnyside Cogeneration Assoc. Based on reported annual generation of 401 GWh, it can supply roughly 115k homes. It ranks #3524 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 369,389 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 86k 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).

58Source-backed capacity
401GWh reported / yr
114,571homes powered
369,389t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050951.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySunnyside Cogen Associates WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Utah WRI
Coordinates39.5472, -110.3917 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity58 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSunnyside Cogeneration Assoc WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
GWh reported / yr401 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions369,389 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3524 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#729 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.10× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent114,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.9°C · HDD 3,823 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 37/100 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 L100000104227); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 58 MW, Sunnyside Cogen Associates 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.

~369,389 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

86kpassenger cars driven for a year
48khomes' yearly energy use
6.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 414 GWh20132014: 420 GWh20142015: 418 GWh20152016: 401 GWh20162017: 414 GWh20172018: 413 GWh20182019: 401 GWh2019420 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Sunnyside Cogeneration Assoc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.9°Cannual mean temp
3,823heating degree-days (base 18°C)
161cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,202 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 2 °CND: -3 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 56% 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: 82/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
25.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
960 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 #729 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 39.5472, -110.3917 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sunnyside Cogen Associates?

Sunnyside Cogen Associates is a 58 MW source-record coal power plant in Utah, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Sunnyside Cogen Associates generate?

Sunnyside Cogen Associates generates about 401 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sunnyside Cogen Associates power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 114,571 homes.

Who operates Sunnyside Cogen Associates?

Sunnyside Cogen Associates is operated by Sunnyside Cogeneration Assoc.

How much CO₂ does Sunnyside Cogen Associates emit?

Sunnyside Cogen Associates has modelled emissions of about 369,389 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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