Home / North America / United States of America / Mesquite Generating Station Block 1

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1

Gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America. Approximate location 33.345, -112.8642.

GasArizonaUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ measured

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 is a 692 MW gas power station in Arizona, United States of America. It is operated by Salt River Project. Based on reported annual generation of 3,216 GWh, it can supply roughly 919k homes. It ranks #969 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 3,009,090 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 701k 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).

692Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
3,216GWh reported / yr
918,857homes powered
3,009,090t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058557.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMesquite Generating Station Block 1 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arizona WRI
Coordinates33.345, -112.8642 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity692 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSalt River Project WRI
Commissioned2003 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr3,216 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions3,009,090 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#969 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#403 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.71× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent918,857 calculated from reported generation
Climate22.5°C · HDD 578 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 45/100 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 L100000402264); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 692 MW, Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 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.

3,009,090 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

701kpassenger cars driven for a year
392khomes' yearly energy use
50 milliontree 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: 578 GWh20132014: 1,798 GWh20142015: 2,371 GWh20152016: 1,980 GWh20162017: 1,983 GWh20172018: 2,315 GWh20182019: 3,216 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Salt River Project. All plants by this company →

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 desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 33.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

22.5°Cannual mean temp
578heating degree-days (base 18°C)
2,254cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
264 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 26 °CMJ: 31 °CJJ: 34 °CJA: 34 °CAS: 30 °CSO: 23 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD34 °C

Heating degree-days here run 76% 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: 22/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~5% 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)
45/100environmental-severity index
22.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
218 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 #403 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 33.345, -112.8642 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mesquite Generating Station Block 1?

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 is a 692 MW source-record gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America, commissioned in 2003.

How much electricity does Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 generate?

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 generates about 3,216 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 918,857 homes.

Who operates Mesquite Generating Station Block 1?

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 is operated by Salt River Project.

How much CO₂ does Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 emit?

Mesquite Generating Station Block 1 has measured emissions of about 3,009,090 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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