King City Peaking

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 36.2248, -121.1246.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

King City Peaking is a 47 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Calpine Corp-King City. Based on reported annual generation of 6 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.7k homes. It ranks #3814 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 138,230 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 32k 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).

47Source-backed capacity
6GWh reported / yr
1,742homes powered
138,230t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055811.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKing City Peaking WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates36.2248, -121.1246 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity47 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalpine Corp-King City WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
GWh reported / yr6 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions138,230 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#3814 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1393 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.39× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,742 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.6°C · HDD 1,434 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 37/100 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 133 MW for King City power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: C_REVIEW_MANUAL - recommended action: manual_review_only - confidence: unknown. 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 L100000402471); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 47 MW, King City Peaking 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.

~138,230 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

32kpassenger cars driven for a year
18khomes' yearly energy use
2.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 6 GWh20132014: 5 GWh20142015: 7 GWh20152016: 4 GWh20162017: 8 GWh20172018: 9 GWh20182019: 6 GWh20199 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Calpine Corp-King City.

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 warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 36.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.6°Cannual mean temp
1,434heating degree-days (base 18°C)
212cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
308 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 16 °CON: 12 °CND: 9 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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: 33/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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

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 marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
11.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
41 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 #1393 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 36.2248, -121.1246 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is King City Peaking?

King City Peaking is a 47 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does King City Peaking generate?

King City Peaking generates about 6 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can King City Peaking power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,742 homes.

Who operates King City Peaking?

King City Peaking is operated by Calpine Corp-King City.

How much CO₂ does King City Peaking emit?

King City Peaking has modelled emissions of about 138,230 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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