Watson Cogeneration
Los Angeles County, California · EIA plant ID 50216 · Operator: ARCO Products Co-Watson
Nameplate405MWSummer 398 MW
Generators6in service
Net generation2,396GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor69%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate5,503Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1987Runs as baseload
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,850.2 | — | — |
| 2002 | 3,010.3 | — | — |
| 2003 | 3,026.8 | 86.8% | 7,127 |
| 2004 | 3,082.2 | 88.2% | 5,578 |
| 2005 | 3,031.4 | 87.0% | 5,578 |
| 2006 | 2,999.6 | 86.0% | 5,578 |
| 2007 | 3,027.8 | 86.8% | 5,578 |
| 2008 | 3,017 | 86.3% | 5,410 |
| 2009 | 2,978.4 | 85.4% | 5,410 |
| 2010 | 3,016.4 | 86.5% | 5,410 |
| 2011 | 2,999.4 | 86.0% | 5,410 |
| 2012 | 3,066.1 | 87.7% | 5,410 |
| 2013 | 3,112 | 89.3% | 5,410 |
| 2014 | 3,067.3 | 88.0% | 5,410 |
| 2015 | 3,024.8 | 86.8% | 5,410 |
| 2016 | 3,047.6 | 87.2% | 5,503 |
| 2017 | 3,019.6 | 86.6% | 5,503 |
| 2018 | 2,988.7 | 85.7% | 5,503 |
| 2019 | 3,036.8 | 87.1% | 5,503 |
| 2020 | 2,963.2 | 84.8% | 5,503 |
| 2021 | 2,941.1 | 84.4% | 5,503 |
| 2022 | 2,567.9 | 73.7% | 5,503 |
| 2023 | 2,330 | 66.8% | 5,503 |
| 2024 | 2,372.4 | 67.9% | 5,503 |
| 2025 | 2,334.4 | 67.0% | 5,503 |
Fuel capability
Gas-fired turbines (CT/GT/CA/CS) that can also burn liquid fuel. EIA-860 Schedule 3 for capability, EIA-923 for actual burn.
StatusLikely still dual fuel
Liquid fuel burned · 36 mo367,047 MMBtu
Last month with liquid burnAug 2026
Switch while operatingYes
Net summer MW on gas328
Net summer MW on oil328
Time gas → oilup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Time oil → gasup to 1 h (EIA 1H)
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GN91 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 82 | 82 | Mar 1988 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GN92 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 82 | 82 | Feb 1988 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GN93 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 82 | 82 | Jan 1988 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GN94 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CT | 82 | 82 | Dec 1987 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GN95 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 38.5 | 35 | Feb 1988 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GN96 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | CA | 38.5 | 35 | Dec 1987 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: ARCO Products Co-Watson. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Tesoro SoCal Cogen LLC | 100.0% | 405 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| CPA Wilmington 1 | 2 MW | 0.7 km |
| BP Carson Refinery | 14 MW | 0.8 km |
| 1420 Coil Av #C | retired | 2.5 km |
| CPA 2132 E Dominguez | 1 MW | 2.7 km |
| Colon PV | 1 MW | 2.8 km |
| Equilon Los Angeles Refining | retired | 2.9 km |