28th largest plant in Rhode Island · 6451st nationally
Block Island is a oil power plant in Rhode Island with a nameplate capacity of 7.1 MW. It generates roughly 55 MWh per year — enough to power about 5 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1841 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Block Island |
|---|---|
| Operator | Block Island Utility District |
| City | Block Island |
| County | Washington County |
| State | Rhode Island |
| ZIP | 02807 |
| Coordinates | 41.17556, -71.57110 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Standby | 2018 |
| 25 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Standby | 2006 |
| 26 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Retired | 2012 |
| 21 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.6 MW | Retired | 1997 |
| 24 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.6 MW | Standby | 2002 |
| 22 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.3 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| 23 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.2 MW | Standby | 2001 |
| 19 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.1 MW | Retired | 1993 |
| 11 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.0 MW | Retired | 1972 |
| CO₂ | 51 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1841 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 | NPCC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | No Ba |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.