Home / North America / United States of America / CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 38.3989, -121.924.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant is a 60 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by CalPeak Power LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 8 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.3k homes. It ranks #3469 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 1,618 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 377 cars driven for a year. 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).

60Source-backed capacity
8GWh reported / yr
2,285homes powered
1,618t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055499.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates38.3989, -121.924 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity60 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalPeak Power LLC WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr8 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions1,618 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3469 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1301 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.50× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,285 calculated from reported generation
Climate15.7°C · HDD 1,284 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 33/100 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 (location L100000401534); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 60 MW, CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

~1,618 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

377passenger cars driven for a year
211homes' yearly energy use
27ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 7 GWh20132014: 13 GWh20142015: 18 GWh20152016: 14 GWh20162017: 9 GWh20172018: 11 GWh20182019: 8 GWh201918 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by CalPeak Power LLC.

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 hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.7°Cannual mean temp
1,284heating degree-days (base 18°C)
454cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
20 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 18 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% below 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: 30/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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)
33/100environmental-severity index
14.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
93 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 #1301 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 38.3989, -121.924 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant?

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant is a 60 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant generate?

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant generates about 8 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,285 homes.

Who operates CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant?

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant is operated by CalPeak Power LLC.

How much CO₂ does CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant emit?

CalPeak Power Vaca Dixon Peaker Plant has modelled emissions of about 1,618 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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