Home / North America / United States of America / Tenaska Virginia Generating Station

Tenaska Virginia Generating Station

Gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America. Approximate location 37.8667, -78.3813.

GasVirginiaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Tenaska Virginia Generating Station is a 1,011 MW gas power station in Virginia, United States of America. It is operated by Tenaska Virginia Partners LP. Based on reported annual generation of 5,938 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.7 million homes. It ranks #647 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2004, it is around 22 years old — relatively modern. 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).

1,011Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
5,938GWh reported / yr
1,696,571homes powered
2004commissioned (~22 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055439.

Data status

Known data

FacilityTenaska Virginia Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Virginia WRI
Coordinates37.8667, -78.3813 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,011 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTenaska Virginia Partners LP WRI
Commissioned2004 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr5,938 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,375,200 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#647 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#210 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.34× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,696,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.5°C · HDD 2,217 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000401626); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,011 MW, Tenaska Virginia Generating Station is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 4,483 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 5,000 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 5,938 GWh20196k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Tenaska Virginia Partners LP.

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.5°Cannual mean temp
2,217heating degree-days (base 18°C)
593cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
104 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 9 °CND: 4 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 10% below 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: 46/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
23.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
241 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 #210 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 37.8667, -78.3813 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Tenaska Virginia Generating Station?

Tenaska Virginia Generating Station is a 1,011 MW source-record gas power plant in Virginia, United States of America, commissioned in 2004.

How much electricity does Tenaska Virginia Generating Station generate?

Tenaska Virginia Generating Station generates about 5,938 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Tenaska Virginia Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,696,571 homes.

Who operates Tenaska Virginia Generating Station?

Tenaska Virginia Generating Station is operated by Tenaska Virginia Partners LP.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.