Friendswood Energy

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 29.6473, -95.4515.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Friendswood Energy is a 122 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Friendswood Energy Genco LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 71 GWh, it can supply roughly 20k homes. It ranks #2565 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2018, it is around 8 years old — recently built. Its modelled annual emissions are 31,005 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 7.2k 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).

122Source-backed capacity
71GWh reported / yr
20,171homes powered
31,005t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2018commissioned (~8 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0060468.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFriendswood Energy WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates29.6473, -95.4515 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity122 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFriendswood Energy Genco LLC WRI
Commissioned2018 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr71 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions31,005 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2565 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1080 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent20,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.5°C · HDD 610 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 44/100 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 (location L100000401961); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 122 MW, Friendswood Energy is around 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.

~31,005 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

7.2kpassenger cars driven for a year
4.0khomes' yearly energy use
517ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2018: 23 GWh20182019: 71 GWh201971 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Friendswood Energy Genco LLC.

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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 29.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.5°Cannual mean temp
610heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,521cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
21 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 22 °CON: 17 °CND: 13 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 75% 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: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~4% 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
17.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
81 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 #1080 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 29.6473, -95.4515 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Friendswood Energy?

Friendswood Energy is a 122 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 2018.

How much electricity does Friendswood Energy generate?

Friendswood Energy generates about 71 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Friendswood Energy power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 20,171 homes.

Who operates Friendswood Energy?

Friendswood Energy is operated by Friendswood Energy Genco LLC.

How much CO₂ does Friendswood Energy emit?

Friendswood Energy has modelled emissions of about 31,005 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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