CASTLETON ENERGY CENTER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 72 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Rensselaer County
- Operator
- PIC GROUP INC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1992
- EIA plant ID
- 10190
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 87.1 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 14%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.5397, -73.7452
CASTLETON ENERGY CENTER, a 72 MW Natural Gas power plant in Rensselaer County, New York. Operated by PIC GROUP INC, commissioned 1992.
How CASTLETON ENERGY CENTER compares
With 72 MW of capacity, CASTLETON ENERGY CENTER ranks 70th among the 320 operating power plants Bywatts maps in New York and 40th of the 68 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.4% of New York's operating Natural Gas capacity and 0.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 745th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1992, it is newer than 66% of the 312 operating New York plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Rensselaer County with 8 other operating plants, including EMPIRE GENERATING CO LLC and RENSSELAER COGEN.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 72 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 87.1 GWh in 2024 (a 14% capacity factor), down 50% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is NEW BALTIMORE (69 kV), about 7.3 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by NIAGARA MOHAWK POWER CORP., under 0.1 miles away. Another 18 operating power plants totaling 3,572 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ATHENS GENERATING PLANT (1,323 MW, Natural Gas). Within 50 miles is one mapped data center, INOC Albany (80 State St) in Albany, about 7.6 miles away.
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records, EIA-860/923 survey data and PeeringDB data center locations; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CASTLETON ENERGY CENTER is a 72 MW natural gas power plant in Rensselaer County, NY, operated by PIC GROUP INC, commissioned in 1992. Rensselaer County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.2 of 5 at the 6th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 81st 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.
Rensselaer County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 2.3 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.06 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 0.84 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 16.9 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 26.7 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 24th | 2.0 of 5 | 0.15 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 2.9 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 3.0 |
Perils not assessed in Rensselaer 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 "No Rating" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Rensselaer 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.