CHINO MINES
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 56 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Grant County
- Operator
- PHELPS DODGE CORP-CHINO MINES
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1959
- EIA plant ID
- 54667
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 69.2 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 15%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 32.6956, -108.1225
CHINO MINES, a 56 MW Natural Gas power plant in Grant County, New Mexico. Operated by PHELPS DODGE CORP-CHINO MINES, commissioned 1959.
How CHINO MINES compares
With 56 MW of capacity, CHINO MINES ranks 23rd among the 65 operating power plants Bywatts maps in New Mexico and 13th of the 16 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.4% of New Mexico's operating Natural Gas capacity and 0.8% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 790th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1959, it is older than 93% of the 63 operating New Mexico plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Grant County with one other operating plant, SILVER CITY WWTP PV PROJECT.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 54 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 69.2 GWh in 2024 (a 15% capacity factor). Its generators came online between 1959 and 2001.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is MD #1 (115 kV), about 5.2 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, about 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: SILVER CITY WWTP PV PROJECT (1 MW, Solar).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CHINO MINES is a 56 MW natural gas power plant in Grant County, NM, operated by PHELPS DODGE CORP-CHINO MINES, commissioned in 1959. Grant County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.8 of 5 at the 20th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 95th 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.
Grant County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 94th | 4.8 of 5 | 2.0 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Hail | Very Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | 7.4 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 65.2 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 4th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.05 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Grant County
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 "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Grant County 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.