Laredo — United States of America

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 27.5667, -99.5089.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaOCGT

Laredo is a 263.6 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Talen Texas LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 112 GWh, it can supply roughly 32k homes. It ranks #1693 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 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).

263.6MW installed capacity
112GWh reported / yr
31,885homes powered
2008commissioned (~18 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003439.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLaredo WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates27.5667, -99.5089 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity263.6 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000402153; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerTalen Texas LLC WRI
Commissioned2008 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr112 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions44,640 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#1693 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#830 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.17× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent31,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.9°C · HDD 338 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 43/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000402153; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 263.6 MW, Laredo is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 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.

Key facts

Load factor
5%, from 112 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
204 GWh in 2013 and 112 GWh in 2019 (−45%)
Highest and lowest year
2016: 234 GWh; 2015: 89 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
1,407 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 204 GWh20132014: 136 GWh20142015: 89 GWh20152016: 234 GWh20162017: 112 GWh20172018: 173 GWh20182019: 112 GWh2019234 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Talen Texas 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 hot semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 27.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.9°Cannual mean temp
338heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,129cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
152 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 13 °CJF: 16 °CFM: 20 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 27 °CMJ: 30 °CJJ: 31 °CJA: 30 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 24 °CON: 18 °CND: 14 °CD31 °C

Heating degree-days here run 86% 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: 18/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~6% 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

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)
43/100environmental-severity index
17.8°Cseasonal temperature swing
223 kmdistance to coast

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 #830 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 27.5667, -99.5089 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Laredo?

Laredo is a 263.6 MW gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 2008.

How much electricity does Laredo generate?

Laredo generates about 112 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Laredo?

Laredo is operated by Talen Texas LLC.

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