Cedar Bayou

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 29.75, -94.9256.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Cedar Bayou is a 1,530 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by NRG Texas Power LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 2,186 GWh, it can supply roughly 624k homes. It ranks #367 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1971, it is around 55 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 678,858 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 158k 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).

1,530Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
2,186GWh reported / yr
624,428homes powered
678,858t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1971commissioned (~55 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003460.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCedar Bayou WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates29.75, -94.9256 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,530 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNRG Texas Power LLC WRI
Commissioned1971 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,186 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions678,858 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#367 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#83 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers12.62× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent624,428 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 L100000402144); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,530 MW, Cedar Bayou 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.

678,858 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

158kpassenger cars driven for a year
89khomes' yearly energy use
11 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 1,232 GWh20132014: 1,314 GWh20142015: 2,343 GWh20152016: 1,447 GWh20162017: 1,692 GWh20172018: 1,438 GWh20182019: 2,186 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by NRG Texas 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 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 #83 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 29.75, -94.9256 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cedar Bayou?

Cedar Bayou is a 1,530 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1971.

How much electricity does Cedar Bayou generate?

Cedar Bayou generates about 2,186 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Cedar Bayou power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 624,428 homes.

Who operates Cedar Bayou?

Cedar Bayou is operated by NRG Texas Power LLC.

How much CO₂ does Cedar Bayou emit?

Cedar Bayou has measured emissions of about 678,858 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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