US Borax

Gas power plant in California, United States of America. Approximate location 35.0329, -117.701.

GasCaliforniaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

US Borax is a 48 MW gas power plant in California, United States of America. It is operated by U S Borax Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 296 GWh, it can supply roughly 84,714 homes. It ranks #2812 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1984, it is around 42 years old — long-established. Its measured emissions of 70,039 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE) are equivalent to about 16,326 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).

48MW installed capacity
296GWh reported / yr
84,714homes powered
70,039t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1984commissioned (~42 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0050115.

70,039 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

16,326passenger cars driven for a year
9,134homes' yearly energy use
1,167,317tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 324 GWh20132014: 332 GWh20142015: 324 GWh20152016: 336 GWh20162017: 302 GWh20172018: 282 GWh20182019: 296 GWh2019336 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by U S Borax 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 cold desert climate (Köppen BWk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 35.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

16.7°Cannual mean temp
1,460heating degree-days (base 18°C)
1,018cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
858 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 7 °CJF: 9 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 25 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 24 °CSO: 18 °CON: 11 °CND: 6 °CD28 °C

Heating degree-days here run 41% 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: 33/100 — 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 ~1% 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 #1090 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 35.0329, -117.701 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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