El Segundo Cogen — United States of America

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 180.1 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 #2073 of 10,884 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).

180.1MW installed 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 capacity180.1 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000401650; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerChevron USA Inc-El Segundo WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,261 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions504,280 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#2073 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#944 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.49× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent360,200 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.9°C · HDD 519 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 51/100 derived from coordinates

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).

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000401650; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 180.1 MW, El Segundo Cogen is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 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.

Key facts

Load factor
80%, from 1,261 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
1,051 GWh in 2013 and 1,261 GWh in 2019 (+20%)
Highest and lowest year
2016: 1,392 GWh; 2013: 1,051 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
744 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

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

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

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 180.1 MW 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.

Who operates El Segundo Cogen?

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

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