Cedar Bayou 4

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 29.7516, -94.9231.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Cedar Bayou 4 is a 536 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 619 GWh, it can supply roughly 177k homes. It ranks #1233 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. 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).

536Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
619GWh reported / yr
176,742homes powered
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056806.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCedar Bayou 4 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates29.7516, -94.9231 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity536 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC WRI
Commissioned2009 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr619 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions247,440 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1233 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#560 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.42× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent176,742 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.4°C · HDD 625 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 44/100 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 L100000401589); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 536 MW, Cedar Bayou 4 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: 1,038 GWh20132014: 1,048 GWh20142015: 1,300 GWh20152016: 1,250 GWh20162017: 1,431 GWh20172018: 623 GWh20182019: 619 GWh20191k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company 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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 29.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.4°Cannual mean temp
625heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,506cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 21 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% 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: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~4% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
17.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
60 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 #560 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 29.7516, -94.9231 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cedar Bayou 4?

Cedar Bayou 4 is a 536 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 2009.

How much electricity does Cedar Bayou 4 generate?

Cedar Bayou 4 generates about 619 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Cedar Bayou 4 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 176,742 homes.

Who operates Cedar Bayou 4?

Cedar Bayou 4 is operated by NRG Cedar Bayou Development Company LLC.

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