Desert Star Energy Center
Natural gas power plant · Clark County, Nevada
Nameplate capacity
537 MW
Rank in Nevada
#11
of 117 plants
In service since
2000
May 2000
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Operator
- Desert Star Energy Center SDG&E
- County
- Clark County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 2.83%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Nevada
- #9 of 17
- EIA plant code
- 55077
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ED03 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 196 MW | 170 MW | 2000 | Operating |
| ED01 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 171 MW | 140 MW | 2000 | Operating |
| ED02 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 171 MW | 140 MW | 2000 | Out of service but expected to return to service in next calendar year |
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 Nevada
| Apex Generating Station | Natural gas | 601 MW |
| North Valmy | Natural gas | 567 MW |
| TS Power Plant | Coal | 442 MW |
| Las Vegas Generating Station | Natural gas | 359 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 537 MW solar plant and a 537 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 Nevada power plants · What Nevada actually generates