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Wheelabrator Westchester — United States of America

Waste power plant in New York, United States of America. Approximate location 41.2771, -73.9423.

WasteNew YorkUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Wheelabrator Westchester is a 59.7 MW waste power plant in New York, United States of America. It is operated by Wheelabrator Environmental Systems. Based on reported annual generation of 377 GWh, it can supply roughly 108k homes. It ranks #3449 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 500,660 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 117k cars driven for a year. In context, the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

59.7MW installed capacity
377GWh reported / yr
107,714homes powered
500,660t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050882.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWheelabrator Westchester WRI
CountryUnited States of America · New York WRI
Coordinates41.2771, -73.9423 WRI
FuelWaste WRI
MW installed capacity59.7 MW Wikidata P2109; installed/nameplate capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerWheelabrator Environmental Systems WRI
Commissioned1984 WRI
GWh reported / yr377 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions500,660 t CO₂·a⁻¹ modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3449 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#47 / 551 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers9.05× · 6.6 MW · n=551 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent107,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.6°C · HDD 3,031 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 59.7 MW, Wheelabrator Westchester is well above the median waste plant in United States of America (6.6 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.

~500,660 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

25kgarbage trucks of waste recycled instead of landfilled
117kgasoline cars driven for a year
501kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.07%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Key facts

Load factor
72%, from 377 GWh of reported generation; the median for 506 waste plants in United States of America that report generation is 62%
Generation trend
390 GWh in 2013 and 377 GWh in 2019 (−3%)
Highest and lowest year
2015: 397 GWh; 2019: 377 GWh
Share of United States of America waste capacity
0.6% of 10,154 MW across 551 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
33 of 541 dated waste plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 390 GWh20132014: 389 GWh20142015: 397 GWh20152016: 387 GWh20162017: 394 GWh20172018: 395 GWh20182019: 377 GWh2019397 GWh

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

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 41.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.6°Cannual mean temp
3,031heating degree-days (base 18°C)
350cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
75 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: -1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 6 °CND: 1 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 23% 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: 63/100 — 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

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)
37/100environmental-severity index
25.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
81 kmdistance to coast

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 #47 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 41.2771, -73.9423 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Wheelabrator Westchester?

Wheelabrator Westchester is a 59.7 MW waste power plant in New York, United States of America, commissioned in 1984.

How much electricity does Wheelabrator Westchester generate?

Wheelabrator Westchester generates about 377 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Wheelabrator Westchester?

Wheelabrator Westchester is operated by Wheelabrator Environmental Systems.

How much CO₂ does Wheelabrator Westchester emit?

Wheelabrator Westchester has modelled emissions of about 500,660 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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