Spencer

Gas power plant in Texas, United States of America. Approximate location 33.1975, -97.1061.

GasTexasUnited States of AmericaOCGTAnnouncedCO₂ modelled

Spencer is a 126 MW gas power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by City of Garland - (TX). Based on reported annual generation of 29 GWh, it can supply roughly 8.3k homes. It ranks #2524 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its modelled annual emissions are 210,070 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 49k 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).

126Source-backed capacity
29GWh reported / yr
8,342homes powered
210,070t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1969Announced year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0004266.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySpencer WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Texas WRI
Coordinates33.1975, -97.1061 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity126 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCity of Garland - (TX) WRI
Commissioned1969 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr29 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions210,070 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2524 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1060 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.04× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent8,342 calculated from reported generation
Climate18.3°C · HDD 1,217 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 39/100 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 L100000401785); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 126 MW, Spencer is around the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Its current lifecycle status is “announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

~210,070 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

49kpassenger cars driven for a year
27khomes' yearly energy use
3.5 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: 29 GWh201929 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by City of Garland - (TX).

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 33.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

18.3°Cannual mean temp
1,217heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,331cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
168 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 6 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 14 °CMA: 18 °CAM: 22 °CMJ: 27 °CJJ: 29 °CJA: 29 °CAS: 25 °CSO: 19 °CON: 13 °CND: 8 °CD29 °C

Heating degree-days here run 50% 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: 29/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~2% 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)
39/100environmental-severity index
23.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
445 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 #1060 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 33.1975, -97.1061 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Spencer?

Spencer is a 126 MW source-record gas power plant in Texas, United States of America, planned/announced for 1969.

How much electricity does Spencer generate?

Spencer generates about 29 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Spencer power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 8,342 homes.

Who operates Spencer?

Spencer is operated by City of Garland - (TX).

How much CO₂ does Spencer emit?

Spencer has modelled emissions of about 210,070 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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