Sim Gideon

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 30.1456, -97.2708.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaSteam

Sim Gideon is a 623 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Lower Colorado River Authority. Based on reported annual generation of 743 GWh, it can supply roughly 212k homes. It ranks #1071 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1969, it is around 57 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

623Source-backed capacity
743GWh reported / yr
212,257homes powered
1969commissioned (~57 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003601.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySim Gideon WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates30.1456, -97.2708 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity623 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerLower Colorado River Authority WRI
Commissioned1969 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr743 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions297,160 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1071 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#462 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.14× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent212,257 calculated from reported generation
Climate19.6°C · HDD 838 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 38/100 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.

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 L100000402059); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 623 MW, Sim Gideon is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 402 GWh20162017: 326 GWh20172018: 550 GWh20182019: 743 GWh2019743 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Lower Colorado River Authority. All plants by this company →

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 30.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

19.6°Cannual mean temp
838heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,434cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
133 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 11 °CFM: 16 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 23 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 26 °CSO: 21 °CON: 15 °CND: 11 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 66% 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: 25/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~3% 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
19.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
224 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 #462 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 30.1456, -97.2708 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sim Gideon?

Sim Gideon is a 623 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, commissioned in 1969.

How much electricity does Sim Gideon generate?

Sim Gideon generates about 743 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sim Gideon power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 212,257 homes.

Who operates Sim Gideon?

Sim Gideon is operated by Lower Colorado River Authority.

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