5th largest plant in Nevada · 306th nationally
Tracy is a natural gas power plant in Nevada with a nameplate capacity of 1,033 MW. It generates roughly 3.9M MWh per year — enough to power about 370,416 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 43% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 946 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 (1,033 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 | Tracy |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sierra Pacific Power Co |
| City | Sparks |
| County | Storey County |
| State | Nevada |
| ZIP | 89434 |
| Coordinates | 39.56250, -119.52500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 312 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 156 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| 9 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 156 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 120 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| GT3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 85.0 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| GT4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 85.0 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| ST2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 75.0 MW | Retired | 1965 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 69.7 MW | Operating | 1994 |
| 5 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 50.2 MW | Operating | 1996 |
| ST1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 50.0 MW | Retired | 1963 |
| GT1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 12.5 MW | Retired | 1961 |
| GT2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 12.5 MW | Retired | 1962 |
| CO₂ | 1.8M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 9 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 372 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 946 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 | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Nevada Power Company |
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.