Vienna Operations

Oil power plant in Maryland, United States of America. Approximate location 38.4878, -75.8208.

OilMarylandUnited States of AmericaSteamCO₂ modelled

Vienna Operations is a 162 MW oil power station in Maryland, United States of America. It is operated by NRG Vienna Operations Inc. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 122k homes (estimated). It ranks #2245 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 118,614 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 28k 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).

162Source-backed capacity
121,638homes powered (est.)
118,614t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1971commissioned (~55 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001564.

Data status

Known data

FacilityVienna Operations WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Maryland WRI
Coordinates38.4878, -75.8208 WRI
FuelOil WRI
MW installed capacity162 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNRG Vienna Operations Inc WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions118,614 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2245 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#45 of 902 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers22.50× · 7 MW median · 902 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent121,638 calculated
Climate13.5°C · HDD 2,230 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 39/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 162 MW for Vienna Operations power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A1_APPLY_CANDIDATE_LOW_DELTA - recommended action: candidate_primary_after_spot_check - confidence: medium_high_after_sample. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000409301); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 162 MW, Vienna Operations is well above the median oil plant in United States of America (7 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

~118,614 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

28kpassenger cars driven for a year
15khomes' yearly energy use
2.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 4 GWh20132014: 16 GWh20142015: 11 GWh20152016: 1 GWh20162017: -1 GWh20172018: 6 GWh20182019: 0 GWh201916 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NRG Vienna Operations Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This oil plant burns oil or diesel to drive turbines or reciprocating engines. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.5°Cannual mean temp
2,230heating degree-days (base 18°C)
607cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
9 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 9 °CND: 4 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 9% 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: 47/100 — this site sits in the mid 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
39/100environmental-severity index
23.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
71 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 #45 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 38.4878, -75.8208 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Vienna Operations?

Vienna Operations is a 162 MW source-record oil power plant in Maryland, United States of America, commissioned in 1971.

How many homes can Vienna Operations power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 121,638 homes (estimated).

Who operates Vienna Operations?

Vienna Operations is operated by NRG Vienna Operations Inc.

How much CO₂ does Vienna Operations emit?

Vienna Operations has modelled emissions of about 118,614 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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