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Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 29.8885, -93.951.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSG

Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery is a 258 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Motiva Enterprises LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 1,837 GWh, it can supply roughly 525k homes. It ranks #1767 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1996, it is around 30 years old — long-established. 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).

258Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
1,837GWh reported / yr
524,942homes powered
1996commissioned (~30 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050973.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMotiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates29.8885, -93.951 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity258 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMotiva Enterprises LLC WRI
Commissioned1996 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr1,837 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions734,920 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1767 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#838 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.13× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent524,942 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.0°C · HDD 669 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 49/100 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 L100000402497); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 258 MW, Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery 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: 1,683 GWh20132014: 1,656 GWh20142015: 1,766 GWh20152016: 1,746 GWh20162017: 1,763 GWh20172018: 1,784 GWh20182019: 1,837 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Motiva Enterprises 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 humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 29.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.0°Cannual mean temp
669heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,425cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 20 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 28 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 21 °CON: 16 °CND: 12 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 73% 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: 23/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~4% 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 an aggressive, high-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C5 — Very high), with marine salt corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C5ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
49/100environmental-severity index
17.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
24 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 #838 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 29.8885, -93.951 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery?

Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery is a 258 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1996.

How much electricity does Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery generate?

Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery generates about 1,837 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 524,942 homes.

Who operates Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery?

Motiva Enterprises Port Arthur Refinery is operated by Motiva Enterprises LLC.

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