Hidalgo Energy Center
Natural gas power plant · Hidalgo County, Texas
Nameplate capacity
551 MW
Rank in Texas
#83
of 1,071 plants
In service since
2000
June 2000
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Operator
- Calpine Corp - Hidalgo
- County
- Hidalgo County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.27%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Texas
- #63 of 310
- EIA plant code
- 55545
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 198 MW | 177 MW | 2000 | Operating |
| CTG1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 177 MW | 159 MW | 2000 | Operating |
| CTG2 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 177 MW | 159 MW | 2000 | 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 Texas
| Harrison County Power Project | Natural gas | 570 MW |
| High Lonesome Wind Power, LLC Hybrid | Wind | 563 MW |
| Quail Run Energy Center | Natural gas | 550 MW |
| Lewis Creek | Natural gas | 543 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 551 MW solar plant and a 551 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 Texas power plants · What Texas actually generates