Sundance

Gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America. Approximate location 32.9285, -111.5899.

GasArizonaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Sundance is a 610 MW gas power station in Arizona, United States of America. It is operated by Arizona Public Service Co. Based on reported annual generation of 303 GWh, it can supply roughly 87k homes. It ranks #1091 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 287,951 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 67k 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).

610Source-backed capacity
303GWh reported / yr
86,628homes powered
287,951t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055522.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySundance WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arizona WRI
Coordinates32.9285, -111.5899 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity610 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerArizona Public Service Co WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr303 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions287,951 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1091 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#476 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.03× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent86,628 calculated from reported generation
Climate21.1°C · HDD 722 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 43/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000401713); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 610 MW, Sundance is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

287,951 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

67kpassenger cars driven for a year
38khomes' yearly energy use
4.8 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 132 GWh20132014: 53 GWh20142015: 56 GWh20152016: 234 GWh20162017: 381 GWh20172018: 364 GWh20182019: 303 GWh2019381 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Arizona Public Service Co. 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 hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 32.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

21.1°Cannual mean temp
722heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,884cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
564 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 11 °CJF: 13 °CFM: 15 °CMA: 19 °CAM: 24 °CMJ: 29 °CJJ: 32 °CJA: 31 °CAS: 29 °CSO: 23 °CON: 16 °CND: 11 °CD32 °C

Heating degree-days here run 71% 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: 23/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
43/100environmental-severity index
21.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
302 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 #476 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 32.9285, -111.5899 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Sundance?

Sundance is a 610 MW source-record gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does Sundance generate?

Sundance generates about 303 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Sundance power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 86,628 homes.

Who operates Sundance?

Sundance is operated by Arizona Public Service Co.

How much CO₂ does Sundance emit?

Sundance has measured emissions of about 287,951 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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