Cosumnes

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 38.3385, -121.124.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Cosumnes is a 557 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist. Based on reported annual generation of 2,751 GWh, it can supply roughly 786k homes. It ranks #1193 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2006, it is around 20 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).

557Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
2,751GWh reported / yr
786,057homes powered
2006commissioned (~20 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055970.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCosumnes WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates38.3385, -121.124 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity557 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSacramento Municipal Util Dist WRI
Commissioned2006 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,751 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,100,480 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1193 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#531 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.59× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent786,057 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.2°C · HDD 1,327 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 31/100 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 L100000401606); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 557 MW, Cosumnes 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: 3,829 GWh20132014: 3,980 GWh20142015: 3,924 GWh20152016: 3,859 GWh20162017: 3,192 GWh20172018: 3,399 GWh20182019: 2,751 GWh20194k 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 38.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.2°Cannual mean temp
1,327heating degree-days (base 18°C)
697cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
54 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 18 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 46% 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: 31/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
31/100environmental-severity index
17.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
168 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 #531 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 38.3385, -121.124 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cosumnes?

Cosumnes is a 557 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2006.

How much electricity does Cosumnes generate?

Cosumnes generates about 2,751 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Cosumnes power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 786,057 homes.

Who operates Cosumnes?

Cosumnes is operated by Sacramento Municipal Util Dist.

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