COPPER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 81 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- El Paso County
- Operator
- EL PASO ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1980
- EIA plant ID
- 9
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 49.8 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 6.5%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 31.7576, -106.3745
COPPER, an 81 MW Natural Gas power plant in El Paso County, Texas. Operated by EL PASO ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1980.
How COPPER compares
With 81 MW of capacity, COPPER ranks 194th among the 307 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Texas and 112th of the 134 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.1% of Texas's operating Natural Gas capacity and under 0.1% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 725th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1980, it is older than 77% of the 303 operating Texas plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, EL PASO ELECTRIC CO, runs 2 operating plants in Texas totaling 994 MW. It shares El Paso County with 3 other operating plants, including NEWMAN and PHELPS DODGE REFINING.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 87 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 49.8 GWh in 2024 (a 6.5% capacity factor), up 5% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is RIO GRANDE (115 kV), about 10.7 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by EL PASO ELECTRIC CO., under 0.1 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 1,341 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is NEWMAN (913 MW, Natural Gas).
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
COPPER is an 81 MW natural gas power plant in El Paso County, TX, operated by EL PASO ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1980. El Paso County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.4 of 5 at the 85th national percentile. Hail is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 88th 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.
El Paso County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Very High | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.43 |
| Winter weather | Very High | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 2.4 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Very High | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 49.4 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 41st | 2.7 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 21st | 1.8 of 5 | 4.0 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.33 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.03 |
Perils not assessed in El Paso 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 El Paso 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.