Mountain Creek

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 32.7231, -96.9358.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaSteamCO₂ measured

Mountain Creek is a 853 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Mountain Creek Power LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 413 GWh, it can supply roughly 118k homes. It ranks #768 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1963, it is around 63 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 403,036 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 94k 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).

853Source-backed capacity
413GWh reported / yr
118,000homes powered
403,036t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1963commissioned (~63 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003453.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMountain Creek WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates32.7231, -96.9358 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity853 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMountain Creek Power LLC WRI
Commissioned1963 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr413 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions403,036 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#768 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#291 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers7.04× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent118,000 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.5°C · HDD 1,134 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000402103); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 853 MW, Mountain Creek is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

403,036 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

94kpassenger cars driven for a year
53khomes' yearly energy use
6.7 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: 285 GWh20132014: 206 GWh20142015: 406 GWh20152016: 506 GWh20162017: 183 GWh20172018: 409 GWh20182019: 413 GWh2019506 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Mountain Creek Power 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 32.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.5°Cannual mean temp
1,134heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,351cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
215 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 19 °CON: 13 °CND: 9 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 54% 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: 28/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
22.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
429 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 #291 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 32.7231, -96.9358 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mountain Creek?

Mountain Creek is a 853 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1963.

How much electricity does Mountain Creek generate?

Mountain Creek generates about 413 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Mountain Creek power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 118,000 homes.

Who operates Mountain Creek?

Mountain Creek is operated by Mountain Creek Power LLC.

How much CO₂ does Mountain Creek emit?

Mountain Creek has measured emissions of about 403,036 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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