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Mountainview Generating Station

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 34.0818, -117.2418.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of America

Mountainview Generating Station is a 1,036 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Southern California Edison Co. Based on reported annual generation of 3,041 GWh, it can supply roughly 869k homes. It ranks #638 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2006, it is around 20 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).

1,036Source-backed capacity
3,041GWh reported / yr
868,771homes powered
2006commissioned (~20 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000358.

Data status

Known data

FacilityMountainview Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates34.0818, -117.2418 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,036 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSouthern California Edison Co WRI
Commissioned2006 WRI
GWh reported / yr3,041 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,216,280 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#638 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#204 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.55× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent868,771 calculated from reported generation
Climate16.1°C · HDD 1,270 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 35/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 L100000402278); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,036 MW, Mountainview Generating Station is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 5,518 GWh20132014: 6,173 GWh20142015: 5,750 GWh20152016: 4,891 GWh20162017: 4,040 GWh20172018: 2,092 GWh20182019: 3,041 GWh20196k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Southern California Edison Co. 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-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.1°Cannual mean temp
1,270heating degree-days (base 18°C)
592cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
838 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 10 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 18 °CON: 13 °CND: 10 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 48% 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: 30/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~1% 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)
35/100environmental-severity index
15.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
100 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 #204 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 34.0818, -117.2418 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Mountainview Generating Station?

Mountainview Generating Station is a 1,036 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 2006.

How much electricity does Mountainview Generating Station generate?

Mountainview Generating Station generates about 3,041 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Mountainview Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 868,771 homes.

Who operates Mountainview Generating Station?

Mountainview Generating Station is operated by Southern California Edison Co.

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