3rd largest plant in Maryland · 180th nationally
Brandon Shores is a coal power plant in Maryland with a nameplate capacity of 1,370 MW. It generates roughly 1.0M MWh per year — enough to power about 98,598 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 9% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2611 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 (1,370 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 | Brandon Shores |
|---|---|
| Operator | Brandon Shores Llc |
| City | Baltimore |
| County | Anne Arundel County |
| State | Maryland |
| ZIP | 21226 |
| Coordinates | 39.18207, -76.53715 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 685 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 685 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| CO₂ | 1.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 533 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 622 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2611 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 |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.