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Frito-Lay Cogen Plant

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.3951, -119.3216.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of America

Frito-Lay Cogen Plant is a 6 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Frito-Lay Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 24 GWh, it can supply roughly 6.9k homes. It ranks #6448 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 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).

6Source-backed capacity
24GWh reported / yr
6,857homes powered
1986commissioned (~40 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010110.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFrito-Lay Cogen Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates35.3951, -119.3216 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity6 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFrito-Lay Inc WRI
Commissioned1986 WRI
GWh reported / yr24 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions9,600 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#6448 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1878 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.05× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent6,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.0°C · HDD 1,075 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 6 MW, Frito-Lay Cogen Plant is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 27 GWh20132014: 24 GWh20142015: 28 GWh20152016: 27 GWh20162017: 28 GWh20172018: 27 GWh20182019: 24 GWh201928 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Frito-Lay Inc.

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 hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.0°Cannual mean temp
1,075heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,079cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
95 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 21 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 19 °CON: 13 °CND: 8 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 56% 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: 27/100 — 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

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)
41/100environmental-severity index
19.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
136 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 #1878 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 35.3951, -119.3216 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Frito-Lay Cogen Plant?

Frito-Lay Cogen Plant is a 6 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1986.

How much electricity does Frito-Lay Cogen Plant generate?

Frito-Lay Cogen Plant generates about 24 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Frito-Lay Cogen Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 6,857 homes.

Who operates Frito-Lay Cogen Plant?

Frito-Lay Cogen Plant is operated by Frito-Lay Inc.

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