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Washington County Cogeneration Facility

Gas power plant in Alabama, United States of America. Approximate location 31.2504, -88.0156.

GasAlabamaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Washington County Cogeneration Facility is a 122 MW gas power station in Alabama, United States of America. It is operated by Alabama Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 824 GWh, it can supply roughly 235k homes. It ranks #2550 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1999, it is around 27 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 442,378 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 103k cars driven for a year. 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).

122Source-backed capacity
824GWh reported / yr
235,400homes powered
442,378t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1999commissioned (~27 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007697.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWashington County Cogeneration Facility WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Alabama WRI
Coordinates31.2504, -88.0156 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity122 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAlabama Power Co WRI
Commissioned1999 WRI
GWh reported / yr824 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions442,378 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2550 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1069 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.01× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent235,400 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.8°C · HDD 883 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 42/100 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 L100000401699); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 122 MW, Washington County Cogeneration Facility is around the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). 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.

442,378 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

103kpassenger cars driven for a year
58khomes' yearly energy use
7.4 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: 827 GWh20132014: 829 GWh20142015: 834 GWh20152016: 719 GWh20162017: 828 GWh20172018: 810 GWh20182019: 824 GWh2019834 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Alabama Power Co. All plants by this company →

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 31.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.8°Cannual mean temp
883heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,191cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
14 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 19 °CON: 14 °CND: 11 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 64% 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: 25/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
42/100environmental-severity index
18.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
138 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 #1069 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 31.2504, -88.0156 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Washington County Cogeneration Facility?

Washington County Cogeneration Facility is a 122 MW source-record gas power plant in Alabama, United States of America, commissioned in 1999.

How much electricity does Washington County Cogeneration Facility generate?

Washington County Cogeneration Facility generates about 824 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Washington County Cogeneration Facility power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 235,400 homes.

Who operates Washington County Cogeneration Facility?

Washington County Cogeneration Facility is operated by Alabama Power Co.

How much CO₂ does Washington County Cogeneration Facility emit?

Washington County Cogeneration Facility has measured emissions of about 442,378 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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