North City - Landfill Gas Engines South is retired. EIA's monthly generator inventory (EIA-860M, August 2026) lists every generator at this natural gas plant as retired; the last one retired in March 2022. It is not counted among California's operating plants or in any ranking on this site.
The figures below describe the plant when it ran: equipment from EIA Form 860 (2024).
The 3.6 MW is nameplate capacity: the most this plant's generators are rated to produce, not what it actually generates. EPA eGRID reports no positive net generation for it this year.
How it works
Why the numbers look like this: engines start in minutes and come in small blocks, so they show up at landfills, on islands and as backup or peaking units — places that need power in small, fast pieces.
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| Address | 4949 Eastgate Mall Road |
|---|---|
| City | San Diego |
| County | San Diego County |
| State | California |
| ZIP | 92121 |
| Coordinates | 32.88170, -117.19580 |
| Operator | City of San Diego |
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Nameplate capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNT1 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.9 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| UNT2 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.9 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| UNT3 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.9 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| UNT4 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.9 MW | Retired | 1999 |
| NERC Region | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | California Independent System Operator |
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.