91st largest plant in Washington · 5128th nationally
University Of Washington Power Plant is a natural gas power plant in Washington with a nameplate capacity of 15.0 MW. It generates roughly 1.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 124 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 1% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 3078 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 (15.0 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 | University Of Washington Power Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | University Of Washington |
| City | Seattle |
| County | King County |
| State | Washington |
| ZIP | 98195 |
| Coordinates | 47.65390, -122.30360 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TG2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 5.0 MW | Retired | 1969 |
| TG3 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| DG3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 1993 |
| DG4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 1993 |
| DG5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 1994 |
| DG6 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2003 |
| DG7 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2003 |
| DRUPS | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2022 |
| CO₂ | 2.0k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 3 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 3078 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 | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Seattle City Light |
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.