52nd largest plant in Virginia · 2776th nationally
Low Moor is a oil power plant in Virginia with a nameplate capacity of 82.8 MW. It generates roughly 134 MWh per year — enough to power about 12 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 3208 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Low Moor |
|---|---|
| Operator | Virginia Electric & Power Co |
| City | Covington |
| County | Alleghany County |
| State | Virginia |
| ZIP | 24426 |
| Coordinates | 37.77700, -79.89200 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GT1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 20.7 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| GT2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 20.7 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| GT3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 20.7 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| GT4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 20.7 MW | Operating | 1971 |
| CO₂ | 215 metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 3208 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 | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.