page_title: Capitol Power Plant
hierarchical_section_title: Capitol Power Plant
caption_attribution_description: The Capitol Power Plant provides steam and chilled water used to heat and cool buildings throughout the Capitol campus. In December 1910, the plant started operations, generating steam and electricity for the Capitol building. In 1951 it ceased generating electricity. The plant has been enlarged many times to keep up with expansion of congressional offices and corresponding increase in heating and cooling demands of the Capitol campus. This official Architect of the Capitol photograph is being made available for educational, scholarly, news or personal purposes (not advertising or any other commercial use). When any of these images is used the photographic credit line should read “Architect of the Capitol.” These images may not be used in any way that would imply endorsement by the Architect of the Capitol or the United States Congress of a product, service or point of view. For more information visit www.aoc.gov.
context_page_description: The Capitol Power Plant is a fossil-fuel burning power plant which provides steam and chilled water for the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and 19 other buildings in the Capitol Complex. Located at 25 E St SE in southeast Washington, D.C., it is the only coal-burning power plant in the District of Columbia, though it mostly uses natural gas. The plant has been serving the Capitol since 1910, and is under the administration of the Architect of the Capitol. Though it was originally built to supply the Capitol complex with electricity as well, the plant has not produced electricity for the Capitol since 1952. Electricity generation is now handled by the same power grid and local electrical utility that serves the rest of metropolitan Washington.
  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the facility released 118,851 tons of carbon dioxide in 2007. In 2009 it switched to using natural gas, unless coal was needed for backup capacity.
context_section_description: The Capitol Power Plant is a fossil-fuel burning power plant which provides steam and chilled water for the United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and 19 other buildings in the Capitol Complex.  Located at 25 E St SE in southeast Washington, D.C., it is the only coal-burning power plant in the District of Columbia, though it mostly uses natural gas. The plant has been serving the Capitol since 1910, and is under the administration of the Architect of the Capitol (see 2 U.S.C. § 2162).  Though it was originally built to supply the Capitol complex with electricity as well, the plant has not produced electricity for the Capitol since 1952. Electricity generation is now handled by the same power grid and local electrical utility (Pepco) that serves the rest of metropolitan Washington.
  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the facility released 118,851 tons of carbon dioxide in 2007. In 2009 it switched to using natural gas, unless coal was needed for backup capacity. In 2013, it was announced that the Capitol Power Plant would add a Cogeneration Plant to the CPP that will use natural gas in a combustion turbine in order to efficiently generate both electricity and heat for steam, thus further reducing emissions. A 7.5 megawatt cogeneration facility was completed at the CPP in 2018.
caption: The Capitol Power Plant in 2011, from the Architect of the Capitol
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