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York Energy Centre

Gas power plant in Ontario, Canada. Approximate location 44.0757, -79.5309.

GasOntarioCanadaOCGT

York Energy Centre is a 494 MW gas power station in Ontario, Canada. It is operated by York Energy Centre LP. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 556k homes (estimated). It ranks #83 of 1,211 Canada power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2012, it is around 14 years old — relatively modern. In context, gas supplies about 17.8% of Canada's electricity; the national grid averages 191 gCO₂/kWh (77.0% low-carbon) (2025).

494Source-backed capacity
556,385homes powered (est.)
2012commissioned (~14 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CAN0002095.

Data status

Known data

FacilityYork Energy Centre WRI
CountryCanada · Ontario WRI
Coordinates44.0757, -79.5309 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity494 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerYork Energy Centre LP WRI
Commissioned2012 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions778,939 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#83 of 1211 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#22 of 112 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.91× · 170 MW median · 112 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent556,385 calculated
Climate7.0°C · HDD 4,136 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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 494 MW for York Energy Centre, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A2_GENERAL_REVIEW - recommended action: manual_source_check - confidence: medium_low. 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000405260); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 494 MW, York Energy Centre is well above the median gas plant in Canada (170 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

Capacity vs largest gas plants in Canada

Alberta Sundance power station: 2,121 MW2kAlberta Su…Lennox: 2,100 MW2kLennoxGreenlight Electricity Centre: 1,864 MW2kGreenlight…Beacon AI Centers Indus Project: 1,504 MW2kBeacon AI …Genesee Data Centre Project power station: 1,500 MW2kGenesee Da…Wonder Valley power station: 1,200 MW1kWonder Val…Greenfield Energy Centre: 1,038 MW1kGreenfield…Burrard: 950 MW950Burrard

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

Owner

Operated by York Energy Centre LP.

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 warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.0°Cannual mean temp
4,136heating degree-days (base 18°C)
131cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
258 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -7 °CJF: -7 °CFM: -2 °CMA: 5 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 3 °CND: -3 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 68% 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: 86/100 — this site sits in the top 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
27.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
122 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 #22 largest gas power plant of 112 in Canada by capacity.

Canada has 112 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 37,176 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 44.0757, -79.5309 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is York Energy Centre?

York Energy Centre is a 494 MW source-record gas power plant in Ontario, Canada, commissioned in 2012.

How many homes can York Energy Centre power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 556,385 homes (estimated).

Who operates York Energy Centre?

York Energy Centre is operated by York Energy Centre LP.

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