Gary Works — United States of America

Gas power plant in Indiana, United States of America. Approximate location 41.6224, -87.3289.

GasIndianaUnited States of AmericaSteam

Gary Works is a 161 MW gas power station in Indiana, United States of America. It is operated by United States Steel-Gary. Based on reported annual generation of 1,233 GWh, it can supply roughly 352k homes. It ranks #2197 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 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).

161MW installed capacity
1,233GWh reported / yr
352,171homes powered
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050733.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGary Works WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Indiana WRI
Coordinates41.6224, -87.3289 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity161 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000407459; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerUnited States Steel-Gary WRI
Commissioned1997 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr1,233 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions493,040 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#2197 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#990 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.33× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent352,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.9°C · HDD 3,306 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000407459; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 161 MW, Gary Works is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

Key facts

Load factor
87%, from 1,233 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
811 GWh in 2013 and 1,233 GWh in 2019 (+52%)
Highest and lowest year
2019: 1,233 GWh; 2015: 708 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
782 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 811 GWh20132014: 796 GWh20142015: 708 GWh20152016: 713 GWh20162017: 993 GWh20172018: 1,166 GWh20182019: 1,233 GWh20191k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by United States Steel-Gary.

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-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
3,306heating degree-days (base 18°C)
358cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
189 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °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

This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
28.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 kmdistance to coast

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 #990 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 41.6224, -87.3289 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gary Works?

Gary Works is a 161 MW gas power plant in Indiana, United States of America, commissioned in 1997.

How much electricity does Gary Works generate?

Gary Works generates about 1,233 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Gary Works?

Gary Works is operated by United States Steel-Gary.

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