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King City Power Plant

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 36.225, -121.1278.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

King City Power Plant is a 133 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Calpine King City Cogen LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 161 GWh, it can supply roughly 46k homes. It ranks #2471 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 7,295 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 1.7k 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).

133Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
161GWh reported / yr
46,114homes powered
7,295t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010294.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKing City Power Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates36.225, -121.1278 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity133 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalpine King City Cogen LLC WRI
Commissioned1989 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr161 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions7,295 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2471 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1047 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.10× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent46,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.6°C · HDD 1,434 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 37/100 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000402471); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 133 MW, King City Power Plant is around the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as CCGT; combined-cycle with a heat-recovery steam generator (HRSG). 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.

7,295 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.7kpassenger cars driven for a year
951homes' yearly energy use
122ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 410 GWh20132014: 512 GWh20142015: 442 GWh20152016: 419 GWh20162017: 383 GWh20172018: 375 GWh20182019: 161 GWh2019512 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Calpine King City Cogen LLC.

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 #1047 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 36.225, -121.1278 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is King City Power Plant?

King City Power Plant is a 133 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1989.

How much electricity does King City Power Plant generate?

King City Power Plant generates about 161 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can King City Power Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 46,114 homes.

Who operates King City Power Plant?

King City Power Plant is operated by Calpine King City Cogen LLC.

How much CO₂ does King City Power Plant emit?

King City Power Plant has measured emissions of about 7,295 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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