HIDALGO ENERGY CENTER
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 551 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Hidalgo County
- Operator
- CALPINE CORP - HIDALGO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2000
- EIA plant ID
- 55545
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 2,056 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 42%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 26.3417, -98.1752
HIDALGO ENERGY CENTER, a 551 MW Natural Gas power plant in Hidalgo County, Texas. Operated by CALPINE CORP - HIDALGO, commissioned 2000.
How HIDALGO ENERGY CENTER compares
With 551 MW of capacity, HIDALGO ENERGY CENTER ranks 68th among the 307 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Texas and 53rd of the 134 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.8% of Texas's operating Natural Gas capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 295th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2000, it is older than 52% of the 303 operating Texas plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Hidalgo County with 3 other operating plants, including MAGIC VALLEY GENERATING STATION and FRONTERA ENERGY CENTER.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 551 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 2,056 GWh in 2024 (a 42% capacity factor), down 19% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line owned by AEP TEXAS CENTRAL CO., about 0.1 miles away. Another 4 operating power plants totaling 1,732 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MAGIC VALLEY GENERATING STATION (801 MW, Natural Gas).
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
HIDALGO ENERGY CENTER is a 551 MW natural gas power plant in Hidalgo County, TX, operated by CALPINE CORP - HIDALGO, commissioned in 2000. Hidalgo County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.4 of 5 at the 85th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 94th 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.
Hidalgo County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Very High | 94th | 4.7 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Hail | Very High | 80th | 4.2 of 5 | 0.55 |
| Ice storm | Very High | 67th | 3.7 of 5 | 0.16 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 39.9 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 9.0 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 0.74 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 19th | 1.8 of 5 | 0.53 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.27 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 2.3 |
Perils not assessed in Hidalgo 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 Hidalgo 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.