53rd largest plant in Massachusetts · 5250th nationally
Wellesley College Central Utility Plant is a natural gas power plant in Massachusetts with a nameplate capacity of 13.9 MW. It generates roughly 480 MWh per year — enough to power about 45 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 837 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Wellesley College Central Utility Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Wellesley College |
| City | Wellesley |
| County | Norfolk County |
| State | Massachusetts |
| ZIP | 02481 |
| Coordinates | 42.29393, -71.30811 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SB1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 3.0 MW | Standby | 1985 |
| 1122 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.9 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| 1123 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.9 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| 8187 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.9 MW | Out of Service | 1999 |
| 1118 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.3 MW | Out of Service | 1994 |
| 1119 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.3 MW | Out of Service | 1994 |
| 1120 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.3 MW | Out of Service | 1994 |
| 1121 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.3 MW | Out of Service | 1994 |
| CO₂ | 201 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 4 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 837 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.