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Oyster Creek Unit VIII

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 28.9802, -95.342.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Oyster Creek Unit VIII is a 498 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Dow Chemical Company-Oyster Creek VIII. Based on reported annual generation of 2,597 GWh, it can supply roughly 742k homes. It ranks #1287 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1994, it is around 32 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 516,770 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 120k 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).

498Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
2,597GWh reported / yr
741,914homes powered
516,770t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054676.

Data status

Known data

FacilityOyster Creek Unit VIII WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates28.9802, -95.342 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity498 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDow Chemical Company-Oyster Creek VIII WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr2,597 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions516,770 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1287 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#595 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.11× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent741,914 calculated from reported generation
Climate21.2°C · HDD 457 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 50/100 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 L100000401670); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 498 MW, Oyster Creek Unit VIII 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.

~516,770 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

120kpassenger cars driven for a year
67khomes' yearly energy use
8.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 2,340 GWh20132014: 2,166 GWh20142015: 2,183 GWh20152016: 2,388 GWh20162017: 2,398 GWh20172018: 2,191 GWh20182019: 2,597 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Dow Chemical Company-Oyster Creek VIII.

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 29.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.2°Cannual mean temp
457heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,642cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 17 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 23 °CON: 18 °CND: 14 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 81% 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 ~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)
50/100environmental-severity index
16.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
31 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 #595 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 28.9802, -95.342 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Oyster Creek Unit VIII?

Oyster Creek Unit VIII is a 498 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1994.

How much electricity does Oyster Creek Unit VIII generate?

Oyster Creek Unit VIII generates about 2,597 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Oyster Creek Unit VIII power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 741,914 homes.

Who operates Oyster Creek Unit VIII?

Oyster Creek Unit VIII is operated by Dow Chemical Company-Oyster Creek VIII.

How much CO₂ does Oyster Creek Unit VIII emit?

Oyster Creek Unit VIII has modelled emissions of about 516,770 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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