Valencia

Gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America. Approximate location 31.3635, -110.9313.

GasArizonaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Valencia is a 108 MW gas power station in Arizona, United States of America. It is operated by UNS Electric Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 27 GWh, it can supply roughly 7.8k homes. It ranks #2699 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1997, it is around 29 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 78,468 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 18k 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).

108Source-backed capacity
27GWh reported / yr
7,828homes powered
78,468t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1997commissioned (~29 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006515.

Data status

Known data

FacilityValencia WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arizona WRI
Coordinates31.3635, -110.9313 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity108 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerUNS Electric Inc WRI
Commissioned1997 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr27 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions78,468 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2699 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1118 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.89× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent7,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate17.0°C · HDD 1,181 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 54 MW for Valencia 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: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 108 MW, Valencia is below 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.

~78,468 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

18kpassenger cars driven for a year
10khomes' yearly energy use
1.3 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 23 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 1 GWh20162017: 3 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 27 GWh201927 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by UNS Electric 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 semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 31.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

17.0°Cannual mean temp
1,181heating degree-days (base 18°C)
833cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,331 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 9 °CJF: 10 °CFM: 12 °CMA: 15 °CAM: 19 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 23 °CSO: 18 °CON: 13 °CND: 9 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 52% 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: 28/100 — this site sits in the bottom third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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.

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)
38/100environmental-severity index
16.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
216 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 #1118 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 31.3635, -110.9313 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Valencia?

Valencia is a 108 MW source-record gas power plant in Arizona, United States of America, commissioned in 1997.

How much electricity does Valencia generate?

Valencia generates about 27 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Valencia power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 7,828 homes.

Who operates Valencia?

Valencia is operated by UNS Electric Inc.

How much CO₂ does Valencia emit?

Valencia has modelled emissions of about 78,468 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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