83rd largest plant in Texas · 678th nationally
Hidalgo Energy Center is a natural gas power plant in Texas with a nameplate capacity of 551 MW.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (551 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Hidalgo Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Calpine Corp - Hidalgo |
| City | Edinburg |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| State | Texas |
| ZIP | 78539 |
| Coordinates | 26.34172, -98.17576 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 198 MW | Operating | 2000 |
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 177 MW | Operating | 2000 |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 177 MW | Operating | 2000 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Calpine Corp - Hidalgo | Houston, TX | 7900.0% |
| Calpine Corp | Houston, TX | 7900.0% |
| Brownsville Public Utilities Board | Brownsville, TX | 2100.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| NERC Region | TRE |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Electric Reliability Council Of Texas, Inc. |
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.