BETHLEHEM POWER PLANT

How BETHLEHEM POWER PLANT compares

With 1,300 MW of capacity, BETHLEHEM POWER PLANT ranks 11th among the 170 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Pennsylvania and 2nd of the 28 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 12% of Pennsylvania's operating Natural Gas capacity and 3.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 45th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2002, it is newer than 54% of the 168 operating Pennsylvania plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Northampton County with 5 other operating plants, including PPL MARTINS CREEK and LOWER MOUNT BETHEL ENERGY.

EIA-860 lists 8 generators at the site with 1,153 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 1,300 MW). Net generation was 5,938 GWh in 2024 (a 59% capacity factor), up 36% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2002 and 2003.

Grid neighborhood

The nearest named substation is STEEL CITY (500 kV), about 0.3 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 500 kV line owned by PPL ELECTRIC UTILITIES CORP, under 0.1 miles away. Another 11 operating power plants totaling 3,189 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is PPL MARTINS CREEK (1,790 MW, Oil). Within 50 miles are 3 mapped data centers; the nearest is QTS Piscataway (PNJ1) in Piscataway, about 43.7 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