BERKSHIRE POWER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 289 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Hampden County
- Operator
- BERKSHIRE POWER CO LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1999
- EIA plant ID
- 55041
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 573 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 23%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.0482, -72.6480
BERKSHIRE POWER, a 289 MW Natural Gas power plant in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Operated by BERKSHIRE POWER CO LLC, commissioned 1999.
How BERKSHIRE POWER compares
With 289 MW of capacity, BERKSHIRE POWER ranks 10th among the 125 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Massachusetts and 7th of the 22 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 5.4% of Massachusetts's operating Natural Gas capacity and 3.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 466th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1999, it is newer than 50% of the 122 operating Massachusetts plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Hampden County with 19 other operating plants, including STONY BROOK and MASSPOWER.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 289 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 573 GWh in 2024 (a 23% capacity factor), up 4% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is C.H. DEXTER, about 7.9 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 31 operating power plants totaling 1,060 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is STONY BROOK (535 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
BERKSHIRE POWER is a 289 MW natural gas power plant in Hampden County, MA, operated by BERKSHIRE POWER CO LLC, commissioned in 1999. Hampden County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.6 of 5 at the 14th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 80th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Hampden County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.11 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 2.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 39th | 2.5 of 5 | 17.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 0.19 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 21st | 1.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 26.5 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 5.1 |
Perils not assessed in Hampden County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Hampden County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.