PES at a (Macrocosmic) Glance

The first, and most important step in witnessing Philadelphia Energy Solutions is visualizing it. As mentioned, PES occupies an expansive swath of land on the eastern bank of the Lower Schuylkill River. Excluding the tank farm on the Schuylkill’s western bank (not shown in the figure above for simplicity’s sake), the complex encompasses a 1,400-acre area between Gray’s Ferry (at the northern end) and Girard Point (at the southern end). 

Now, take a good look at Figure 1. From this perspective, it’s much easier to understand why PES is referred to as a ‘complex.’ Although most people think of the refinery as one large site in Point Breeze, it actually spans numerous neighborhoods and comprises three distinct operating zones: the North Yard, Point Breeze, and Girard Point. I will say more about each of these zones in the next exhibit, but for now I want to remain on the macrocosmic scale. 

So, let’s zoom out even more. 

This is how the PES complex compares with the rest of South Philly and Center City. Clearly, it’s very big. But how big, exactly? Well, to begin, Lincoln Financial Field, the 69,000-seat home of the Philadelphia Eagles, is almost impossible to locate at the scale we’re comfortably viewing PES. (If you can’t find it, see Figure 3.) 

Now, try picking up that yellow polygon in your head and pasting it in the open area to the north and east of the complex. There’s little space for more than a few polygons. In fact, PES is not just ostensibly equal to about a quarter of South Philadelphia, it actually is. 1,400 acres -- remember, the total area of PES between Gray’s Ferry and Girard Point -- constitutes about 23% of all of South Philadelphia’s geographic area. (S. Philly comprises all the land below South Street, between the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers -- an area of about 9.7 square miles. There are 640 acres per square mile, so South Philly’s total acreage is 6,208 acres. 1,400 is about 22.5% of 6,208.) In the figure below, I have identified South Street with an orange line, demarcating the boundaries of South Philly. In addition, for those who struggled with the football stadium exercise, there is a small orange arrow in the bottom of the frame indicating the location of Lincoln Financial Field.

One last note on the PES-South Philly size comparison: According to the 2010 census, the total population of South Philadelphia is around 169,000, with an average population density of 17,000 people per square mile. Another way to conceive of PES’ 1,400-acre complex is in terms of the number of people who could reside in the area it encompasses. Given South Philly’s population density, those 1,400 acres could house over 37,000 people. (1,400 acres is equivalent to 2.1875 square miles. 2.1875 multiplied by 17,000 is approximately 37,188.) 

If we were working with Manhattan’s population density, however, those 1,400 acres could house about 152,000 people. 

Finally, here’s how PES compares to Center City. 

NOTE: to calculate South Philadelphia’s population using the American FactFinder tool hyperlinked above, enter the following zip codes into the Community Facts search bar: 19145, 19146, 19147, 19148.