OYSTER CREEK UNIT VIII
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 498 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Brazoria County
- Operator
- DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY-OYSTER CREEK VIII
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1994
- EIA plant ID
- 54676
- Generators
- 4
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle
- Net generation (2024)
- 2,316 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 53%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 28.9802, -95.3420
OYSTER CREEK UNIT VIII, a 498 MW Natural Gas power plant in Brazoria County, Texas. Operated by DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY-OYSTER CREEK VIII, commissioned 1994.
How OYSTER CREEK UNIT VIII compares
With 498 MW of capacity, OYSTER CREEK UNIT VIII ranks 78th among the 307 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Texas and 63rd of the 134 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 0.7% of Texas's operating Natural Gas capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 334th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1994, it is older than 60% of the 303 operating Texas plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Brazoria County with 7 other operating plants, including DOW CHEMICAL TEXAS OPERATION and SWEENY COGEN FACILITY.
EIA-860 lists 4 generators at the site with 498 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combined cycle technology. Net generation was 2,316 GWh in 2024 (a 53% capacity factor), down 15% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line owned by CENTERPOINT ENERGY, about 0.3 miles away. Another 5 operating power plants totaling 1,124 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is DOW CHEMICAL TEXAS OPERATION (678 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
OYSTER CREEK UNIT VIII is a 498 MW natural gas power plant in Brazoria County, TX, operated by DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY-OYSTER CREEK VIII, commissioned in 1994. Brazoria County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.8 of 5 at the 46th national percentile. Hurricane is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 91st 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.
Brazoria County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively High | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 0.22 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 74th | 4.0 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 52nd | 3.1 of 5 | 14.9 |
| Coastal flooding | Relatively Moderate | 45th | 2.8 of 5 | 3.7 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 36th | 2.5 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 70.0 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 1.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.69 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 7th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.89 |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Brazoria 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.