Cherokee

Gas power plant in Colorado, United States of America. Approximate location 39.8073, -104.9645.

GasColoradoUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Cherokee is a 1,006 MW gas power station in Colorado, United States of America. It is operated by Public Service Co of Colorado. Based on reported annual generation of 3,932 GWh, it can supply roughly 1,123,542 homes. It ranks #310 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 years old — long-established. Its measured emissions of 1,514,357 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 352,997 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).

1,006MW installed capacity
3,932GWh reported / yr
1,123,542homes powered
1,514,357t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000469.

1,514,357 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

352,997passenger cars driven for a year
197,490homes' yearly energy use
25,239,283tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 2,874 GWh20132014: 3,075 GWh20142015: 3,192 GWh20152016: 4,634 GWh20162017: 4,275 GWh20172018: 3,842 GWh20182019: 3,932 GWh20195k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Public Service Co of Colorado. 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.4°Cannual mean temp
3,092heating degree-days (base 18°C)
342cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,622 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 5 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: 0 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 26% 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: 65/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #127 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.8073, -104.9645 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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