Home / North America / United States of America / Magnolia Power Project

Magnolia Power Project — United States of America

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 34.1786, -118.3153.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Magnolia Power Project is a 387.6 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by City of Burbank Water and Power. Based on reported annual generation of 1,571 GWh, it can supply roughly 449k homes. It ranks #1396 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 611,157 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 142k 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).

387.6MW installed capacity
1,571GWh reported / yr
448,857homes powered
611,157t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056046.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMagnolia Power Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates34.1786, -118.3153 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity387.6 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000401540; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerCity of Burbank Water and Power WRI
Commissioned2005 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,571 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions611,157 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1396 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#682 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.20× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent448,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.6°C · HDD 493 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

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 · L100000401540; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 387.6 MW, Magnolia Power Project is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 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.

611,157 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

11kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
142kgasoline cars driven for a year
611kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.08%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

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

Key facts

Load factor
46%, from 1,571 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
1,164 GWh in 2013 and 1,571 GWh in 2019 (+35%)
Highest and lowest year
2015: 1,712 GWh; 2013: 1,164 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
1,308 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: 1,164 GWh20132014: 1,702 GWh20142015: 1,712 GWh20152016: 1,628 GWh20162017: 1,430 GWh20172018: 1,531 GWh20182019: 1,571 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by City of Burbank Water and Power.

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 34.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.6°Cannual mean temp
493heating degree-days (base 18°C)
705cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
141 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 14 °CJF: 15 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 20 °CON: 17 °CND: 14 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 80% 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: 20/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
10.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
17 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 #682 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 34.1786, -118.3153 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Magnolia Power Project?

Magnolia Power Project is a 387.6 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2005.

How much electricity does Magnolia Power Project generate?

Magnolia Power Project generates about 1,571 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Magnolia Power Project?

Magnolia Power Project is operated by City of Burbank Water and Power.

How much CO₂ does Magnolia Power Project emit?

Magnolia Power Project has measured emissions of about 611,157 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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