43rd largest plant in Massachusetts · 4590th nationally
Central Heating Plant is a natural gas power plant in Massachusetts with a nameplate capacity of 20.4 MW.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (20.4 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 | Central Heating Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | University Of Massachusetts Amherst |
| City | Amherst |
| County | Hampshire County |
| State | Massachusetts |
| ZIP | 01003 |
| Coordinates | 42.39008, -72.53714 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTG | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 11.0 MW | Operating | 2007 |
| STG2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 4.0 MW | Operating | 2007 |
| STG1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 2.1 MW | Operating | 2010 |
| BAT2 | Batteries | Battery | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| BAT1 | Batteries | Battery | 1.3 MW | Operating | 2019 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| University Of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA | 5000.0% |
| Division Of Capital Asset Management And Maintenance | Boston, MA | 5000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| NERC Region | NPCC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Iso New England Inc. |
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.