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Profile
New York power
Produced 2,998.8 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2024 — enough electricity for about 300,000 homes for a year.*
Air quality & health in Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County has a population of 159,305. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 32,994 cases in the county.
No ozone or particle pollution grades are available for this county in the most recent report. The figures above describe how many residents live with conditions sensitive to air quality — not measured pollution levels.
Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to certain health conditions, particularly for children and older adults. Where electricity comes from affects how much combustion pollution is produced on the grid.
These figures describe the county as a whole and are not specific to this facility. Sources: American Lung Association – State of the Air (New York); U.S. EPA Air Quality Index.
The story behind this New York power plant
Of the 100 natural gas plants in New York, the Empire Generating plant in Rensselaer ranks #9 by electricity produced in 2024. It turned out 2,998.8 gigawatt-hours (a unit for measuring large amounts of electricity), which is about 300,000 homes’ worth of power.
It is a combined cycle plant, meaning it burns natural gas to spin one generator, then uses the leftover heat to make steam that spins another. It began operating in 2010 and can produce up to 653.7 MW (megawatts, a measure of the most power it can deliver at one moment). Its fuel is 97.2% natural gas, with a small share of distillate fuel oil, a light petroleum fuel.
Generation profile
The plant can produce 654 megawatts of electricity at once, across 3 generating units. In 2024 it produced 2,998.8 gigawatt-hours in total, which works out to about 52% of what it could have produced running flat out all year — the pattern of a plant that runs through much of the year.
Nearby places worth exploring
Rensselaer sits across the Hudson River from Albany. Nearby Troy is home to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and sits on the river as well. To the east, Grafton Lakes State Park offers ponds and trails in the hills.
Local school district
Rensselaer City School District
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* Homes-powered and emissions comparisons are annual estimates based on national averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Homes powered” describes a quantity of electricity, not direct service to specific households. How we calculate this.
