Big Cajun I — United States of America
Gas power plant in Louisiana, United States of America. Approximate location 30.693402, -91.452029.
GasLouisianaUnited States of AmericaSteam
Big Cajun I is a 494 MW gas power station in Louisiana, United States of America. It is operated by Louisiana Generating LLC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 556k homes (estimated). It ranks #1237 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GOGPT_bigcajuni_united.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.
Data provenance
Capacity and fuel are the upstream open-dataset record, not yet matched to a 2026 registry or GEM entry.
capacity: GEM GOGPT; fuel: GEM GOGPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 494 MW, Big Cajun I is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.
Key facts
- Share of United States of America gas capacity
- less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 192 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest gas plants in United States of America
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Louisiana Generating LLC [100%].
Climate zone & how it works
This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 30.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).
Site climate & environmental severity
This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.
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 #598 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
- Big Cajun 2 · Coal · 1,902.9 MW · Louisiana
- Big Cajun II Power Plant · Coal · 1,902.9 MW · Louisiana
- New Roads · Gas · 9.4 MW · Louisiana
- Big Cajun 1 · Gas · 492.8 MW · Louisiana
- St Francisville Mill · Biomass · 12.5 MW · Louisiana
- River Bend · Nuclear · 1,016 MW · Louisiana
Location
Coordinates 30.693402, -91.452029 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Big Cajun I?
Big Cajun I is a 494 MW gas power plant in Louisiana, United States of America, commissioned in 1972.
Who operates Big Cajun I?
Big Cajun I is operated by Louisiana Generating LLC [100%].