Carlsbad Energy Center
Natural gas power plant · San Diego County, California
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Operator
- NRG California Peaker Operations LLC
- County
- San Diego County
- Generating units
- 5
- Share of state capacity
- 0.61%
- Rank among natural gas plants in California
- #19 of 309
- EIA plant code
- 59002
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEC 6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 132 MW | 106 MW | 2018 | Operating |
| CEC 7 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 132 MW | 106 MW | 2018 | Operating |
| CEC 8 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 132 MW | 106 MW | 2018 | Operating |
| CEC 9 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 132 MW | 106 MW | 2018 | Operating |
| CEC10 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 132 MW | 106 MW | 2018 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in California
| Los Medanos Energy Center | Natural gas | 678 MW |
| AES Alamitos Energy Center | Natural gas | 678 MW |
| Russell City Energy Center | Natural gas | 655 MW |
| Edward C Hyatt | Hydro | 644 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 659 MW solar plant and a 659 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All California power plants · What California actually generates