El Segundo Cogen

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 33.9058, -118.4031.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

El Segundo Cogen is a 180 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Chevron USA Inc-El Segundo. Based on reported annual generation of 1,261 GWh, it can supply roughly 360k homes. It ranks #2127 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. 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).

180Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,261GWh reported / yr
360,200homes powered
1996commissioned (~30 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010213.

Data status

Known data

FacilityEl Segundo Cogen WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates33.9058, -118.4031 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity180 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerChevron USA Inc-El Segundo WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,261 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions504,280 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#2127 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#944 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.49× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent360,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.9°C · HDD 519 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 51/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 538 MW for El Segundo energy center, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000401650); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 180 MW, El Segundo Cogen 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: 1,051 GWh20132016: 1,392 GWh20162017: 1,354 GWh20172018: 1,265 GWh20182019: 1,261 GWh20191k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Chevron USA Inc-El Segundo.

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 33.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.9°Cannual mean temp
519heating degree-days (base 18°C)
480cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
31 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 20 °CON: 17 °CND: 14 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 79% 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: 21/100 — 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
51/100environmental-severity index
8.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
17 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 #944 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 33.9058, -118.4031 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is El Segundo Cogen?

El Segundo Cogen is a 180 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1996.

How much electricity does El Segundo Cogen generate?

El Segundo Cogen generates about 1,261 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can El Segundo Cogen power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 360,200 homes.

Who operates El Segundo Cogen?

El Segundo Cogen is operated by Chevron USA Inc-El Segundo.

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