2nd largest plant in Maryland · 98th nationally
Chalk Point Power is a natural gas power plant in Maryland with a nameplate capacity of 1,825 MW. It generates roughly 690.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 65,778 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 4% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1492 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 (1,825 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 | Chalk Point Power |
|---|---|
| Operator | Chalk Point Power, Llc |
| City | Aquasco |
| County | Prince Georges County |
| State | Maryland |
| ZIP | 20608 |
| Coordinates | 38.54440, -76.68610 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 659 MW | Operating | 1975 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 659 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| GT5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 125 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| GT6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 125 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| GT3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 103 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| GT4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 103 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| GT2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 35.0 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| GT1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 16.0 MW | Operating | 1967 |
| CO₂ | 515.2k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 20 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 464 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1492 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.