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Frontera Energy Center

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 26.208, -98.3992.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Frontera Energy Center is a 529 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Frontera Generation LP. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 596k homes (estimated). It ranks #1240 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 767,082 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 179k 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).

529Source-backed capacity
595,805homes powered (est.)
767,082t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id CT-668.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFrontera Energy Center Climate TRACE
CountryUnited States of America · Texas Climate TRACE
Coordinates26.208, -98.3992 Climate TRACE
FuelGas Climate TRACE
MW installed capacity529 MW Climate TRACE source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerFrontera Generation LP Climate TRACE

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions767,082 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1240 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#564 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.36× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent595,805 calculated
Climate23.2°C · HDD 205 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 43/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot available not in dataset
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: Climate TRACE source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 529 MW, Frontera Energy Center is well above 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.

~767,082 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

179kpassenger cars driven for a year
100khomes' yearly energy use
13 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Capacity vs largest gas plants in United States of America

Fermi America Project Matador power station: 6,000 MW6kFermi Amer…Chevron AI Data Center Project: 5,000 MW5kChevron AI…GW Ranch Energy Center: 5,000 MW5kGW Ranch E…West County Energy Center: 4,263 MW4kWest Count…Pittsylvania power station: 3,800 MW4kPittsylvan…Bruce Mansfield power station: 3,641 MW4kBruce Mans…Crystal River: 3,449 MW3kCrystal Ri…Schahfer Generating Station: 2,958 MW3kSchahfer G…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Frontera Generation LP.

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 26.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.2°Cannual mean temp
205heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,120cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
37 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 29 °CJJ: 30 °CJA: 30 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 24 °CON: 20 °CND: 16 °CD30 °C

Heating degree-days here run 92% 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: 17/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~6% 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)
43/100environmental-severity index
15.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
114 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 #564 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 26.208, -98.3992 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Frontera Energy Center?

Frontera Energy Center is a 529 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America.

How many homes can Frontera Energy Center power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 595,805 homes (estimated).

Who operates Frontera Energy Center?

Frontera Energy Center is operated by Frontera Generation LP.

How much CO₂ does Frontera Energy Center emit?

Frontera Energy Center has modelled emissions of about 767,082 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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