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Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse

Waste power plant in Maryland, United States of America. Approximate location 39.266, -76.6297.

WasteMarylandUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse is a 64 MW waste power plant in Maryland, United States of America. It is operated by Wheelabrator Environmental Systems. Based on reported annual generation of 324 GWh, it can supply roughly 93k homes. It ranks #3405 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1985, it is around 41 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 540,920 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 126k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

64Legacy source-record capacity
324GWh reported / yr
92,628homes powered
540,920t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1985commissioned (~41 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010629.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWheelabrator Baltimore Refuse WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Maryland WRI
Coordinates39.266, -76.6297 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity64 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWheelabrator Environmental Systems WRI
Commissioned1985 WRI
GWh reported / yr324 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions540,920 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3405 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#39 of 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers9.77× · 7 MW median · 551 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent92,628 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.5°C · HDD 2,310 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 40/100 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 64 MW, Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (7 MW). Waste-to-energy plants burn municipal solid waste to generate electricity and heat, cutting landfill volume while recovering energy from residual waste.

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

~540,920 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

126kpassenger cars driven for a year
71khomes' yearly energy use
9.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 315 GWh20132014: 323 GWh20142015: 322 GWh20152016: 364 GWh20162017: 337 GWh20172018: 335 GWh20182019: 324 GWh2019364 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Wheelabrator Environmental Systems. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This waste plant recovers energy by combusting municipal or industrial waste. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.5°Cannual mean temp
2,310heating degree-days (base 18°C)
696cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
25 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 9 °CND: 4 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 6% 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: 48/100 — 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)
40/100environmental-severity index
24.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
115 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 #39 largest waste power plant of 551 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 551 waste power plants in this dataset, together about 10,154 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.266, -76.6297 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse?

Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse is a 64 MW source-record waste power plant in Maryland, United States of America, commissioned in 1985.

How much electricity does Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse generate?

Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse generates about 324 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 92,628 homes.

Who operates Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse?

Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse is operated by Wheelabrator Environmental Systems.

How much CO₂ does Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse emit?

Wheelabrator Baltimore Refuse has modelled emissions of about 540,920 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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