Richmond Cogen

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 37.9418, -122.3909.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

Richmond Cogen is a 156 MW gas power station in California, United States of America. It is operated by Chevron Products Company-Richmond. Based on reported annual generation of 936 GWh, it can supply roughly 268k homes. It ranks #2285 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 178,640 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 42k 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).

156Source-backed capacity
936GWh reported / yr
267,571homes powered
178,640t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1994commissioned (~32 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0052109.

Data status

Known data

FacilityRichmond Cogen WRI
CountryUnited States of America · California WRI
Coordinates37.9418, -122.3909 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity156 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerChevron Products Company-Richmond WRI
Commissioned1994 WRI
GWh reported / yr936 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions178,640 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2285 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#998 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.28× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent267,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.7°C · HDD 1,341 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 36/100 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 (location L100000402500); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 156 MW, Richmond Cogen 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.

~178,640 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

42kpassenger cars driven for a year
23khomes' yearly energy use
3.0 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 809 GWh20132014: 800 GWh20142015: 939 GWh20152016: 901 GWh20162017: 839 GWh20172018: 868 GWh20182019: 936 GWh2019939 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Chevron Products Company-Richmond.

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 warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.7°Cannual mean temp
1,341heating degree-days (base 18°C)
135cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
164 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 19 °CSO: 17 °CON: 13 °CND: 9 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 45% 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: 31/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
10.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
40 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 #998 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 37.9418, -122.3909 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Richmond Cogen?

Richmond Cogen is a 156 MW source-record gas power plant in California, United States of America, commissioned in 1994.

How much electricity does Richmond Cogen generate?

Richmond Cogen generates about 936 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Richmond Cogen power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 267,571 homes.

Who operates Richmond Cogen?

Richmond Cogen is operated by Chevron Products Company-Richmond.

How much CO₂ does Richmond Cogen emit?

Richmond Cogen has modelled emissions of about 178,640 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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