Home / North America / United States of America / La Paloma Generating Plant

La Paloma Generating Plant

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.2956, -119.5919.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

La Paloma Generating Plant is a 1,156 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by CXA La Paloma LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 1,036 GWh, it can supply roughly 296k homes. It ranks #555 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).

1,156Source-backed capacity
4HRSG unit(s)
1,036GWh reported / yr
296,114homes powered
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055151.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLa Paloma Generating Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates35.2956, -119.5919 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,156 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCXA La Paloma LLC WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,036 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions414,560 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#555 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#168 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers9.54× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent296,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.8°C · HDD 1,287 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 40/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000401841); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,156 MW, La Paloma Generating Plant is well above 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 6,571 GWh20132014: 6,558 GWh20142015: 5,342 GWh20152016: 4,236 GWh20162017: 2,969 GWh20172018: 1,059 GWh20182019: 1,036 GWh20197k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by CXA La Paloma 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.8°Cannual mean temp
1,287heating degree-days (base 18°C)
874cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
433 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 18 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD27 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 30/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% 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)
40/100environmental-severity index
18.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
136 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 #168 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 35.2956, -119.5919 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is La Paloma Generating Plant?

La Paloma Generating Plant is a 1,156 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does La Paloma Generating Plant generate?

La Paloma Generating Plant generates about 1,036 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can La Paloma Generating Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 296,114 homes.

Who operates La Paloma Generating Plant?

La Paloma Generating Plant is operated by CXA La Paloma LLC.

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