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Gila River Power Block 3

Gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America. Approximate location 32.975, -112.6944.

GasArizonaUnited States of America

Gila River Power Block 3 is a 619 MW gas power station in Arizona, United States of America. It is operated by Salt River Project. Based on reported annual generation of 2,942 GWh, it can supply roughly 841k homes. It ranks #1077 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. 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).

619Source-backed capacity
2,942GWh reported / yr
840,657homes powered
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0059784.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGila River Power Block 3 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arizona WRI
Coordinates32.975, -112.6944 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity619 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSalt River Project WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
GWh reported / yr2,942 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,176,920 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1077 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#468 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.11× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent840,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.6°C · HDD 532 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 44/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 2,476 MW for Gila River power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000402260); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 619 MW, Gila River Power Block 3 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.

Reported generation trend

2014: 1 GWh20142015: 2,171 GWh20152016: 2,387 GWh20162017: 2,259 GWh20172018: 2,586 GWh20182019: 2,942 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Salt River Project. All plants by this company →

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 desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.6°Cannual mean temp
532heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,239cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
338 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 31 °CJJ: 34 °CJA: 33 °CAS: 30 °CSO: 24 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD34 °C

Heating degree-days here run 78% 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: 21/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~5% 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)
44/100environmental-severity index
21.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
206 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 #468 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 32.975, -112.6944 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gila River Power Block 3?

Gila River Power Block 3 is a 619 MW source-record gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does Gila River Power Block 3 generate?

Gila River Power Block 3 generates about 2,942 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Gila River Power Block 3 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 840,657 homes.

Who operates Gila River Power Block 3?

Gila River Power Block 3 is operated by Salt River Project.

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