NCSU Cates Cogeneration Plant
Wake County, North Carolina · EIA plant ID 61676 · Operator: NC State University, Energy Systems
Nameplate11MWSummer 9 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation73GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor88%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate12,052Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online2012Runs as baseload
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 79.8 | 96.9% | 11,373 |
| 2018 | 79.9 | 97.1% | 11,605 |
| 2019 | 77.5 | 94.1% | 12,073 |
| 2020 | 58.4 | 70.7% | 11,963 |
| 2021 | 80.4 | 97.7% | 12,005 |
| 2022 | 80.2 | 97.5% | 12,115 |
| 2023 | 76.4 | 92.7% | 12,183 |
| 2024 | 75.4 | 91.4% | 12,164 |
| 2025 | 72.6 | 88.1% | 12,052 |
Fuel capability
Gas-fired turbines (CT/GT/CA/CS) that can also burn liquid fuel. EIA-860 Schedule 3 for capability, EIA-923 for actual burn.
StatusLikely still dual fuel
Liquid fuel burned · 36 mo91,307 MMBtu
Last month with liquid burnDec 2025
Switch while operatingYes
Net summer MW on gas9
Net summer MW on oil9
Time gas → oilup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Time oil → gasup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 5.6 | 4.7 | Aug 2012 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | GT | 5.6 | 4.7 | Aug 2012 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: NC State University, Energy Systems. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| NC State University, Energy Systems | 100.0% | 11 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| NCSU CCUP Cogeneration Plant | 7 MW | 0.9 km |
| Century Drive Solar Farm | 1 MW | 6 km |
| SAS Solar Farm | 2 MW | 7.6 km |
| Creech Solar 2, LLC | 5 MW | 9.4 km |
| Neuse River Solar Farm | 1 MW | 17.7 km |
| CBC Solar Energy Gen Fac Phase 2 | 3 MW | 18.1 km |