16th largest plant in Pennsylvania · 257th nationally
Bethlehem Power Plant is a natural gas power plant in Pennsylvania with a nameplate capacity of 1,153 MW. It generates roughly 6.0M MWh per year — enough to power about 570,614 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 59% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 970 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,153 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Bethlehem Power Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Calpine Bethlehem Llc |
| City | Bethlehem |
| County | Northampton County |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| ZIP | 18015 |
| Coordinates | 40.61750, -75.31470 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STG4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 196 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| STG8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 196 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CTG5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CTG6 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CTG7 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 127 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CO₂ | 2.9M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 15 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 137 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 970 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | RFC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.