Carlsbad is a natural gas power plant in New Mexico.
| Plant Name | Carlsbad |
|---|---|
| Operator | Southwestern Public Service Co |
| City | Carlsbad |
| County | Eddy County |
| State | New Mexico |
| ZIP | 88220 |
| Coordinates | 32.41800, -104.21556 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 16.3 MW | Retired | 1977 |
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Southwest Power Pool |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.