Home / North America / United States of America / Magic Valley Generating Station

Magic Valley Generating Station

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 26.3403, -98.19.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Magic Valley Generating Station is a 801 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Calpine Corp-Magic Valley. Based on reported annual generation of 2,850 GWh, it can supply roughly 814k homes. It ranks #836 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 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).

801Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
2,850GWh reported / yr
814,285homes powered
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055123.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMagic Valley Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates26.3403, -98.19 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity801 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCalpine Corp-Magic Valley WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,850 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,140,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#836 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#326 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.61× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent814,285 calculated from reported generation
Climate23.2°C · HDD 193 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 43/100 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 L100000401763); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 801 MW, Magic Valley Generating Station 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: 3,527 GWh20132014: 3,715 GWh20142015: 3,218 GWh20152016: 3,179 GWh20162017: 3,105 GWh20172018: 3,272 GWh20182019: 2,850 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Calpine Corp-Magic Valley.

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 26.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

23.2°Cannual mean temp
193heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,087cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
29 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 15 °CJF: 17 °CFM: 21 °CMA: 24 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 29 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 30 °CAS: 28 °CSO: 24 °CON: 20 °CND: 16 °CD30 °C

Heating degree-days here run 92% 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: 16/100 — 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

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)
43/100environmental-severity index
14.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
92 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 #326 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 26.3403, -98.19 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Magic Valley Generating Station?

Magic Valley Generating Station is a 801 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does Magic Valley Generating Station generate?

Magic Valley Generating Station generates about 2,850 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Magic Valley Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 814,285 homes.

Who operates Magic Valley Generating Station?

Magic Valley Generating Station is operated by Calpine Corp-Magic Valley.

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