17th largest plant in Massachusetts · 1381st nationally
Potter Station 2 is a natural gas power plant in Massachusetts with a nameplate capacity of 217 MW. It generates roughly 32.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 3,073 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 2% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1242 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Potter Station 2 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Town Of Braintree - (Ma) |
| City | Braintree |
| County | Norfolk County |
| State | Massachusetts |
| ZIP | 02184 |
| Coordinates | 42.23500, -70.96720 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 76.0 MW | Retired | 1977 |
| WAT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 58.0 MW | Operating | 2009 |
| WAT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 58.0 MW | Operating | 2009 |
| CC3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 25.0 MW | Retired | 1977 |
| IC1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Retired | 1963 |
| IC2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Retired | 1963 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Town Of Braintree - (Ma) | East Braintree, MA | 9249.0% |
| Town Of North Attleborough - (Ma) | North Attleborough, MA | 521.0% |
| City Of Hingham - (Ma) | Hingham, MA | 230.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 20.0k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 2 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1242 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 | 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.