Beaver

Gas power plant in Oregon, United States of America. Approximate location 46.1724, -123.1739.

GasOregonUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Beaver is a 586 MW gas power station in Oregon, United States of America. It is operated by Portland General Electric Co. Based on reported annual generation of 501 GWh, it can supply roughly 143k homes. It ranks #1145 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1975, it is around 51 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

586Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
501GWh reported / yr
143,028homes powered
1975commissioned (~51 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008073.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBeaver WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Oregon WRI
Coordinates46.1724, -123.1739 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity586 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPortland General Electric Co WRI
Commissioned1975 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr501 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions200,240 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1145 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#502 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.83× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent143,028 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.9°C · HDD 2,934 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 25/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000402205); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 586 MW, Beaver is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 273 GWh20132014: 206 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 501 GWh2019501 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Portland General Electric Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
2,934heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
192 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 4 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 17 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 11 °CON: 6 °CND: 4 °CD17 °C

Heating degree-days here run 19% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 61/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
25/100environmental-severity index
13.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
64 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #502 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 46.1724, -123.1739 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Beaver?

Beaver is a 586 MW source-record gas power plant in Oregon, United States of America, commissioned in 1975.

How much electricity does Beaver generate?

Beaver generates about 501 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Beaver power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 143,028 homes.

Who operates Beaver?

Beaver is operated by Portland General Electric Co.

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