Geismar

Gas power plant in Louisiana, United States of America. Approximate location 30.2, -91.0.

GasLouisianaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Geismar is a 84 MW gas power plant in Louisiana, United States of America. It is operated by BASF Corporation. Based on reported annual generation of 632 GWh, it can supply roughly 180k homes. It ranks #3043 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 121,910 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 28k 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).

84Source-backed capacity
632GWh reported / yr
180,485homes powered
121,910t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010319.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGeismar WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Louisiana WRI
Coordinates30.2, -91.0 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity84 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerBASF Corporation WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr632 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions121,910 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3043 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1205 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.69× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent180,485 calculated from reported generation
Climate19.8°C · HDD 685 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 84 MW, Geismar 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.

~121,910 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

28kpassenger cars driven for a year
16khomes' yearly energy use
2.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 641 GWh20132014: 648 GWh20142015: 629 GWh20152016: 614 GWh20162017: 635 GWh20172018: 610 GWh20182019: 632 GWh2019648 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by BASF Corporation.

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 30.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.8°Cannual mean temp
685heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,366cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
7 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 12 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 20 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 72% 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: 23/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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)
43/100environmental-severity index
17.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
90 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 #1205 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 30.2, -91.0 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Geismar?

Geismar is a 84 MW source-record gas power plant in Louisiana, United States of America, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does Geismar generate?

Geismar generates about 632 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Geismar power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 180,485 homes.

Who operates Geismar?

Geismar is operated by BASF Corporation.

How much CO₂ does Geismar emit?

Geismar has modelled emissions of about 121,910 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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