Home / North America / United States of America / DeCordova Steam Electric Station

DeCordova Steam Electric Station

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 32.4031, -97.7006.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaOCGTPre ConstructionCO₂ modelled

DeCordova Steam Electric Station is a 356 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Luminant Generation Company LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 23 GWh, it can supply roughly 6.5k homes. It ranks #1505 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 519,630 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 121k 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).

356Source-backed capacity
23GWh reported / yr
6,514homes powered
519,630t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1990Pre Construction year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008063.

Data status

Known data

FacilityDeCordova Steam Electric Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates32.4031, -97.7006 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity356 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLuminant Generation Company LLC WRI
Commissioned1990 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr23 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions519,630 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1505 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#719 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.94× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent6,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.3°C · HDD 1,168 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000401576); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 356 MW, DeCordova Steam Electric Station is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Its current lifecycle status is “pre construction” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

~519,630 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

121kpassenger cars driven for a year
68khomes' yearly energy use
8.7 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 10 GWh20162017: 12 GWh20172018: 13 GWh20182019: 23 GWh201923 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Luminant Generation Company LLC. 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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.3°Cannual mean temp
1,168heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,304cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
240 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 19 °CON: 13 °CND: 8 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 52% 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: 28/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% 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)
38/100environmental-severity index
22.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
441 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 #719 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 32.4031, -97.7006 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is DeCordova Steam Electric Station?

DeCordova Steam Electric Station is a 356 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, planned/announced for 1990.

How much electricity does DeCordova Steam Electric Station generate?

DeCordova Steam Electric Station generates about 23 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can DeCordova Steam Electric Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 6,514 homes.

Who operates DeCordova Steam Electric Station?

DeCordova Steam Electric Station is operated by Luminant Generation Company LLC.

How much CO₂ does DeCordova Steam Electric Station emit?

DeCordova Steam Electric Station has modelled emissions of about 519,630 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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