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Ford Utilities Center

Gas power plant in New Mexico, United States of America. Approximate location 35.0841, -106.6252.

GasNew MexicoUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Ford Utilities Center is a 15 MW gas power plant in New Mexico, United States of America. It is operated by University of New Mexico. Based on reported annual generation of 70 GWh, it can supply roughly 19,971 homes. It ranks #4153 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2009, it is around 17 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 20,961 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE) are equivalent to about 4,886 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).

15MW installed capacity
70GWh reported / yr
19,971homes powered
20,961t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2009commissioned (~17 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050906.

20,961 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

4,886passenger cars driven for a year
2,734homes' yearly energy use
349,350tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 48 GWh20132014: 74 GWh20142015: 84 GWh20152016: 79 GWh20162017: 78 GWh20172018: 72 GWh20182019: 70 GWh201984 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by University of New Mexico.

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 35.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.5°Cannual mean temp
2,278heating degree-days (base 18°C)
650cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,610 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 2 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 7% 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: 47/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1360 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 35.0841, -106.6252 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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