BIG CAJUN 1
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 493 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Pointe Coupee Parish
- Operator
- LOUISIANA GENERATING LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1972
- EIA plant ID
- 1464
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 151 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 3.5%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 30.6727, -91.3551
BIG CAJUN 1, a 493 MW Natural Gas power plant in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Operated by LOUISIANA GENERATING LLC, commissioned 1972.
How BIG CAJUN 1 compares
With 493 MW of capacity, BIG CAJUN 1 ranks 18th among the 72 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Louisiana and 12th of the 41 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.2% of Louisiana's operating Natural Gas capacity and 2.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 339th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1972, it is older than 65% of the 72 operating Louisiana plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, LOUISIANA GENERATING LLC, runs 2 operating plants in Louisiana totaling 2,396 MW. It shares Pointe Coupee Parish with 2 other operating plants, BIG CAJUN 2 and NEW ROADS.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 493 MW of nameplate capacity, mainly natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 151 GWh in 2024 (a 3.5% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 1972 and 2001.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by ENTERGY LOUISIANA LLC, under 0.1 miles away. Another 10 operating power plants totaling 3,760 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is BIG CAJUN 2 (1,903 MW, Coal).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
BIG CAJUN 1 is a 493 MW natural gas power plant in Pointe Coupee Parish, LA, operated by LOUISIANA GENERATING LLC, commissioned in 1972. Pointe Coupee Parish carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.8 of 5 at the 45th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 89th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Pointe Coupee Parish hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.18 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 72nd | 3.9 of 5 | 82.4 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 59th | 3.3 of 5 | 0.86 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 14.1 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 0.54 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Very Low | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 1.7 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 21st | 1.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 1.2 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.57 |
Perils not assessed in Pointe Coupee Parish
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Pointe Coupee Parish in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.