Home / North America / United States of America / Port Arthur Texas Refinery

Port Arthur Texas Refinery

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 29.9649, -93.8913.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Port Arthur Texas Refinery is a 38 MW gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Total Petrochemicals USA Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 255 GWh, it can supply roughly 73k homes. It ranks #4056 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 55,798 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 13k 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).

38Source-backed capacity
255GWh reported / yr
72,885homes powered
55,798t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010568.

Data status

Known data

FacilityPort Arthur Texas Refinery WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates29.9649, -93.8913 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity38 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTotal Petrochemicals USA Inc WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
GWh reported / yr255 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions55,798 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#4056 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1478 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.32× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent72,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate20.4°C · HDD 617 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC5 · 50/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 38 MW, Port Arthur Texas Refinery is below 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.

~55,798 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

13kpassenger cars driven for a year
7.3khomes' yearly energy use
930ktree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 276 GWh20132014: 230 GWh20142015: 268 GWh20152016: 280 GWh20162017: 182 GWh20172018: 265 GWh20182019: 255 GWh2019280 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Total Petrochemicals USA Inc.

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 30.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

20.4°Cannual mean temp
617heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,500cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
3 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 17 °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 75% 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: 22/100 — 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
17.0°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 #1478 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 29.9649, -93.8913 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Port Arthur Texas Refinery?

Port Arthur Texas Refinery is a 38 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does Port Arthur Texas Refinery generate?

Port Arthur Texas Refinery generates about 255 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Port Arthur Texas Refinery power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 72,885 homes.

Who operates Port Arthur Texas Refinery?

Port Arthur Texas Refinery is operated by Total Petrochemicals USA Inc.

How much CO₂ does Port Arthur Texas Refinery emit?

Port Arthur Texas Refinery has modelled emissions of about 55,798 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.