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Salinas River Cogeneration

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.9515, -120.8679.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Salinas River Cogeneration is a 39 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by Salinas River Cogeneration Co. Based on reported annual generation of 298 GWh, it can supply roughly 85,057 homes. It ranks #3049 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1991, it is around 35 years old — long-established. Its measured emissions of 154,021 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 35,902 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).

39MW installed capacity
298GWh reported / yr
85,057homes powered
154,021t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1991commissioned (~35 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050865.

154,021 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

35,902passenger cars driven for a year
20,086homes' yearly energy use
2,567,017tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 279 GWh20132014: 276 GWh20142015: 265 GWh20152016: 296 GWh20162017: 94 GWh20172018: 301 GWh20182019: 298 GWh2019301 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Salinas River Cogeneration Co.

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 36.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

15.3°Cannual mean temp
1,414heating degree-days (base 18°C)
424cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
357 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 8 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 11 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 17 °CON: 12 °CND: 8 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 42% 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 ~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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1170 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 35.9515, -120.8679 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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