Cargill Salt

Gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. Approximate location 42.8183, -82.4856.

GasMichiganUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Cargill Salt is a 4 MW gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. It is operated by Cargill Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 6 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.8k homes. It ranks #7497 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. 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).

4Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
6GWh reported / yr
1,771homes powered
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054965.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCargill Salt WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Michigan WRI
Coordinates42.8183, -82.4856 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity4 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCargill Inc WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr6 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions2,480 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#7497 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1959 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.03× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,771 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.6°C · HDD 3,636 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 4 MW, Cargill Salt is below 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: 10 GWh20132014: 11 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 6 GWh201911 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Cargill Inc.

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 humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.6°Cannual mean temp
3,636heating degree-days (base 18°C)
231cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
185 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -5 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 5 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 79/100 — this site sits in the top 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
27.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
55 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 #1959 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 42.8183, -82.4856 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cargill Salt?

Cargill Salt is a 4 MW source-record gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Cargill Salt generate?

Cargill Salt generates about 6 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Cargill Salt power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,771 homes.

Who operates Cargill Salt?

Cargill Salt is operated by Cargill Inc.

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