COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE
OperatingOil power plant
- Capacity
- 403 MW
- Primary fuel
- Oil
- County
- Accomack County
- Operator
- COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE CO LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2000
- EIA plant ID
- 55381
- Generators
- 7
- Technology
- Petroleum Liquids
- Net generation (2024)
- 23.4 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 0.7%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 37.9892, -75.5405
COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE, a 403 MW Oil power plant in Accomack County, Virginia. Operated by COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE CO LLC, commissioned 2000.
How COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE compares
With 403 MW of capacity, COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE ranks 17th among the 103 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Virginia and is the largest of the 25 operating Oil plants in the state. It accounts for about 54% of Virginia's operating Oil capacity and 2.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 16th-largest of the 544 operating Oil plants in the database. Commissioned in 2000, it is newer than 66% of the 101 operating Virginia plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Accomack County with 3 other operating plants, including TASLEY and DIESEL GROUP 1.
EIA-860 lists 7 generators at the site with 403 MW of nameplate capacity, all petroleum liquids technology. Net generation was 23.4 GWh in 2024 (a 0.7% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 2000 and 2001.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is OAK HALL (138 kV), about 3.6 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 56 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is TASLEY (27 MW, Oil).
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
COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE is a 403 MW oil power plant in Accomack County, VA, operated by COMMONWEALTH CHESAPEAKE CO LLC, commissioned in 2000. Accomack County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.8 of 5 at the 70th national percentile. Coastal flooding is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to an oil plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Accomack County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | Very High | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.25 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 64th | 3.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.27 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 39th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 0.65 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 5.0 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 24th | 1.9 of 5 | 34.0 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 5.1 |
| Hail | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.78 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.37 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.50 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Accomack 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.