11th largest plant in Hawaii · 2712th nationally
Keahole is a oil power plant in Hawaii with a nameplate capacity of 89.1 MW. It generates roughly 245.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 23,371 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 31% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1628 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 (89.1 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 | Keahole |
|---|---|
| Operator | Hawaii Electric Light Co Inc |
| City | Kailua Kona |
| County | Hawaii County |
| State | Hawaii |
| ZIP | 96740 |
| Coordinates | 19.73170, -156.02830 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 23.0 MW | Operating | 2004 |
| CT5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 23.0 MW | Operating | 2004 |
| 7 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 18.0 MW | Operating | 2009 |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 17.6 MW | Operating | 1989 |
| 18 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1974 |
| 19 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1974 |
| 20 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Retired | 1984 |
| 21 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| 22 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| 23 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1988 |
| CO₂ | 199.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 616 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.1k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1628 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.
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.