713th largest plant in Texas · 6020th nationally
Vaquero is a oil power plant in Texas with a nameplate capacity of 9.0 MW. It generates roughly 709 MWh per year — enough to power about 67 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 1% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1518 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Vaquero |
|---|---|
| Operator | Power Depot Group A, Llc |
| City | Harlingen |
| County | Cameron County |
| State | Texas |
| ZIP | 78550 |
| Coordinates | 26.16807, -97.65405 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VQ1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ10 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ11 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ12 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ13 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ14 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ15 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ6 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ7 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ8 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| VQ9 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| CO₂ | 538 metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 11 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1518 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 | TRE |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Electric Reliability Council Of Texas, Inc. |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.