Fort Lupton

Gas power plant in Colorado, United States of America. Approximate location 40.0922, -104.796.

GasColoradoUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Fort Lupton is a 100 MW gas power station in Colorado, United States of America. It is operated by Public Service Co of Colorado. Based on reported annual generation of 8 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.3k homes. It ranks #2818 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its modelled annual emissions are 146,450 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 34k 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).

100Source-backed capacity
8GWh reported / yr
2,285homes powered
146,450t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1972commissioned (~54 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008067.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFort Lupton WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Colorado WRI
Coordinates40.0922, -104.796 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity100 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPublic Service Co of Colorado WRI
Commissioned1972 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr8 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions146,450 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2818 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1142 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.83× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,285 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.8°C · HDD 3,297 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 37/100 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 L100000402224); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 100 MW, Fort Lupton is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

~146,450 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

34kpassenger cars driven for a year
19khomes' yearly energy use
2.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 6 GWh20132014: 3 GWh20142015: 3 GWh20152016: 2 GWh20162017: 1 GWh20172018: 3 GWh20182019: 8 GWh20198 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Public Service Co of Colorado. 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 40.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.8°Cannual mean temp
3,297heating degree-days (base 18°C)
306cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,522 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 10 °CON: 3 °CND: -2 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 71/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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.

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)
37/100environmental-severity index
25.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
1243 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 #1142 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 40.0922, -104.796 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Fort Lupton?

Fort Lupton is a 100 MW source-record gas power plant in Colorado, United States of America, commissioned in 1972.

How much electricity does Fort Lupton generate?

Fort Lupton generates about 8 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Fort Lupton power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,285 homes.

Who operates Fort Lupton?

Fort Lupton is operated by Public Service Co of Colorado.

How much CO₂ does Fort Lupton emit?

Fort Lupton has modelled emissions of about 146,450 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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