Whitegrass No. 1

Geothermal power plant in Nevada, United States of America. Approximate location 39.1633, -119.1805.

GeothermalNevadaUnited States of America

Whitegrass No. 1 is a 6 MW geothermal power plant in Nevada, United States of America. It is operated by Open Mountain Energy LLC.. Based on reported annual generation of 14 GWh, it can supply roughly 4.0k homes. It ranks #6378 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 0.4% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

6Source-backed capacity
14GWh reported / yr
4,028homes powered
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0063001.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWhitegrass No. 1 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Nevada WRI
Coordinates39.1633, -119.1805 WRI
FuelGeothermal WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerOpen Mountain Energy LLC. WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
GWh reported / yr14 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#6378 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#63 of 65 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.21× · 30 MW median · 65 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,028 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.0°C · HDD 2,835 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 6 MW, Whitegrass No. 1 is below the median geothermal plant in United States of America (30 MW). Geothermal plants tap underground heat to raise steam for a turbine; they provide steady, low-carbon baseload but are limited to geologically active regions.

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

Capacity vs largest geothermal plants in United States of America

Geysers Unit 5-20: 1,163 MW1kGeysers Un…Calistoga Power Plant: 176 MW176Calistoga …Geothermal 1: 110 MW110Geothermal…Geothermal 2: 110 MW110Geothermal…McGinness Hills: 100 MW100McGinness …Coso Finance Partners: 92 MW92Coso Finan…Coso Energy Developers: 90 MW90Coso Energ…Coso Power Developers: 90 MW90Coso Power…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Open Mountain Energy LLC..

Local climate & thermal context

This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.0°Cannual mean temp
2,835heating degree-days (base 18°C)
309cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,343 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 3 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °CND: 1 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 15% 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: 58/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
22.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
343 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 #63 largest geothermal power plant of 65 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 65 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 3,889 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.1633, -119.1805 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Whitegrass No. 1?

Whitegrass No. 1 is a 6 MW source-record geothermal power plant in Nevada, United States of America, commissioned in 2018.

How much electricity does Whitegrass No. 1 generate?

Whitegrass No. 1 generates about 14 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Whitegrass No. 1 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,028 homes.

Who operates Whitegrass No. 1?

Whitegrass No. 1 is operated by Open Mountain Energy LLC..

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