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Phelps Dodge Refining

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 31.7645, -106.3913.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Phelps Dodge Refining is a 20 MW gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Phelps Dodge Refining Corp. Based on reported annual generation of 50 GWh, it can supply roughly 14,200 homes. It ranks #3855 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1989, it is around 37 years old — long-established. Its measured emissions of 18,308 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE) are equivalent to about 4,268 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).

20MW installed capacity
50GWh reported / yr
14,200homes powered
18,308t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1989commissioned (~37 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0054628.

18,308 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

4,268passenger cars driven for a year
2,388homes' yearly energy use
305,133tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 32 GWh20132014: 32 GWh20142015: 30 GWh20152016: 32 GWh20162017: 33 GWh20172018: 41 GWh20182019: 50 GWh201950 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Phelps Dodge Refining Corp.

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 cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.2°Cannual mean temp
1,401heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,122cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,201 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 17 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 26 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 18 °CON: 11 °CND: 7 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 43% 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: 32/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1311 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 31.7645, -106.3913 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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