Sam Rayburn

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 28.8947, -97.135.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaCCGT · HRSGCO₂ modelled

Sam Rayburn is a 190 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by South Texas Electric Coop Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 229 GWh, it can supply roughly 65k homes. It ranks #2095 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1998, it is around 28 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 198,890 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 46k 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).

190Source-backed capacity
1HRSG unit(s)
229GWh reported / yr
65,457homes powered
198,890t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1998commissioned (~28 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003631.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySam Rayburn WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates28.8947, -97.135 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity190 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSouth Texas Electric Coop Inc WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
TechnologyCCGT · HRSG WRI
GWh reported / yr229 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions198,890 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2095 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#932 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.57× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent65,457 calculated from reported generation
Climate21.3°C · HDD 446 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 44/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 190 MW for Sam Rayburn power station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A1_APPLY_CANDIDATE_LOW_DELTA - recommended action: candidate_primary_after_spot_check - confidence: medium_high_after_sample. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000402467); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 190 MW, Sam Rayburn 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.

~198,890 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

46kpassenger cars driven for a year
26khomes' yearly energy use
3.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 229 GWh2019229 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by South Texas Electric Coop 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 28.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.3°Cannual mean temp
446heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,647cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
30 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 12 °CJF: 14 °CFM: 18 °CMA: 21 °CAM: 25 °CMJ: 28 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 22 °CON: 17 °CND: 14 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 82% 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 a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
16.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
80 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 #932 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 28.8947, -97.135 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sam Rayburn?

Sam Rayburn is a 190 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1998.

How much electricity does Sam Rayburn generate?

Sam Rayburn generates about 229 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sam Rayburn power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 65,457 homes.

Who operates Sam Rayburn?

Sam Rayburn is operated by South Texas Electric Coop Inc.

How much CO₂ does Sam Rayburn emit?

Sam Rayburn has modelled emissions of about 198,890 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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