Flaming Gorge

Hydro power plant in Utah, United States of America. Approximate location 40.9146, -109.4217.

HydroUtahUnited States of America

Flaming Gorge is a 152 MW hydro power station in Utah, United States of America. It is operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation. Based on reported annual generation of 503 GWh, it can supply roughly 144k homes. It ranks #2306 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1963, it is around 63 years old — an older, legacy facility. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, hydro supplies about 5.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

152Source-backed capacity
503GWh reported / yr
143,771homes powered
1963commissioned (~63 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006405.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFlaming Gorge WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Utah WRI
Coordinates40.9146, -109.4217 WRI
FuelHydro WRI
MW installed capacity152 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerU S Bureau of Reclamation WRI
Commissioned1963 WRI
GWh reported / yr503 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2306 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#128 of 1449 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers18.98× · 8 MW median · 1449 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent143,771 calculated from reported generation
Climate3.4°C · HDD 5,324 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

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 L100000603791); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 152 MW, Flaming Gorge is well above the median hydro plant in United States of America (8 MW). Hydropower converts the energy of falling or flowing water into electricity; output depends on rainfall and reservoir level, and large dams also provide grid balancing and storage.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2013: 303 GWh20132014: 417 GWh20142015: 549 GWh20152016: 495 GWh20162017: 838 GWh20172018: 629 GWh20182019: 503 GWh2019838 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This hydro plant converts the energy of falling or flowing water through hydro turbines. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

3.4°Cannual mean temp
5,324heating degree-days (base 18°C)
0cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,524 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -8 °CJF: -6 °CFM: -3 °CMA: 1 °CAM: 6 °CMJ: 11 °CJJ: 16 °CJA: 15 °CAS: 11 °CSO: 5 °CON: -2 °CND: -7 °CD16 °C

Heating degree-days here run 117% 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: 96/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
35/100environmental-severity index
23.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
1126 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 #128 largest hydro power plant of 1449 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1449 hydro power plants in this dataset, together about 102,513 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 40.9146, -109.4217 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Flaming Gorge?

Flaming Gorge is a 152 MW source-record hydro power plant in Utah, United States of America, commissioned in 1963.

How much electricity does Flaming Gorge generate?

Flaming Gorge generates about 503 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Flaming Gorge power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 143,771 homes.

Who operates Flaming Gorge?

Flaming Gorge is operated by U S Bureau of Reclamation.

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