York Energy Center

Gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America. Approximate location 39.7375, -76.3067.

GasPennsylvaniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

York Energy Center is a 1,449 MW gas power station in Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is operated by Calpine Mid-Merit LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 5,341 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.5 million homes. It ranks #394 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2015, it is around 11 years old — relatively modern. 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).

1,449Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
5,341GWh reported / yr
1,525,885homes powered
2015commissioned (~11 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055524.

Data status

Known data

FacilityYork Energy Center WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Pennsylvania WRI
Coordinates39.7375, -76.3067 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,449 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalpine Mid-Merit LLC WRI
Commissioned2015 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr5,341 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,136,240 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#394 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#97 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers11.96× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,525,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.0°C · HDD 2,646 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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 560 MW for York I Energy Center, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: D_REJECT_KEEP_MASTER - recommended action: keep_master - confidence: rejected_candidate. 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,449 MW, York Energy Center is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 2,537 GWh20142015: 1,977 GWh20152016: 1,552 GWh20162017: 1,590 GWh20172018: 1,839 GWh20182019: 5,341 GWh20195k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Calpine Mid-Merit LLC.

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 39.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.0°Cannual mean temp
2,646heating degree-days (base 18°C)
495cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
94 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 8 °CND: 3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 8% 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: 53/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
24.7°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 #97 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 39.7375, -76.3067 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is York Energy Center?

York Energy Center is a 1,449 MW source-record gas power plant in Pennsylvania, United States of America, commissioned in 2015.

How much electricity does York Energy Center generate?

York Energy Center generates about 5,341 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can York Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,525,885 homes.

Who operates York Energy Center?

York Energy Center is operated by Calpine Mid-Merit LLC.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.