Home / North America / United States of America / Carson Ice-Gen Project

Carson Ice-Gen Project

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 38.4457, -121.4624.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Carson Ice-Gen Project is a 126 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. Based on reported annual generation of 292 GWh, it can supply roughly 84k homes. It ranks #2533 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1995, it is around 31 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).

126Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
292GWh reported / yr
83,571homes powered
1995commissioned (~31 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007527.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCarson Ice-Gen Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates38.4457, -121.4624 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity126 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSacramento Municipal Util Dist WRI
Commissioned1995 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr292 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions117,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#2533 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1063 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.04× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent83,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.2°C · HDD 1,278 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 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 L100000401605); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 126 MW, Carson Ice-Gen Project is around 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: 401 GWh20132014: 396 GWh20142015: 416 GWh20152016: 380 GWh20162017: 287 GWh20172018: 368 GWh20182019: 292 GWh2019416 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. 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 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.

16.2°Cannual mean temp
1,278heating degree-days (base 18°C)
621cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
9 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 13 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 18 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD24 °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 ~1% 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)
35/100environmental-severity index
16.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
136 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 #1063 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 38.4457, -121.4624 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Carson Ice-Gen Project?

Carson Ice-Gen Project is a 126 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1995.

How much electricity does Carson Ice-Gen Project generate?

Carson Ice-Gen Project generates about 292 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Carson Ice-Gen Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 83,571 homes.

Who operates Carson Ice-Gen Project?

Carson Ice-Gen Project is operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.