22nd largest plant in Louisiana · 779th nationally
Lao Energy Systems is a natural gas power plant in Louisiana with a nameplate capacity of 465 MW. It generates roughly 1.8M MWh per year — enough to power about 171,618 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 44% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 818 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (465 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 | Lao Energy Systems |
|---|---|
| Operator | Dow Chemical Co |
| City | Plaquemine |
| County | Iberville County |
| State | Louisiana |
| ZIP | 70764 |
| Coordinates | 30.31860, -91.23250 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN7 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 125 MW | Retired | 1982 |
| GEN8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 125 MW | Retired | 1983 |
| GEN3 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 90.0 MW | Retired | 1966 |
| GEN2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 88.0 MW | Retired | 1962 |
| GEN4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 76.5 MW | Retired | 1969 |
| GEN5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 76.5 MW | Retired | 1978 |
| GEN6 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 76.5 MW | Retired | 1979 |
| GEN1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 57.0 MW | Retired | 1958 |
| CO₂ | 736.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 4 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.8k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 818 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, 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.