Fort St Vrain
Fort St Vrain is a natural gas plant in Weld County, Colorado, operated by Public Service Co of Colorado. It ranks third by nameplate capacity among Colorado’s 320 power plants. It is the biggest of Colorado’s 29 natural gas plants. Within the Public Service Company of Colorado balancing area it is the largest of 192 plants. A further 478 MW of new generating units is reported as planned or under construction on the site.
Nameplate capacity, 2025
1,148 MW
1,022 MW net summer capacity
6 operable units
- Gas combined cycle868 MW76%
- Gas combustion turbine281 MW24%
Unit by unit, 1996 to 2025
operating in 2025bar height follows unit size
Unit 2 Gas combined cycle, 175 MW, 1996
Unit 1 Gas combined cycle, 343 MW, 1998
Unit 3 Gas combined cycle, 175 MW, 1999
Unit 4 Gas combined cycle, 175 MW, 2001
Unit 5 Gas combustion turbine, 140 MW, 2009
Unit 6 Gas combustion turbine, 140 MW, 2009
Among Colorado’s plants
Largest plants in the state by nameplate capacity, with the plants ranked next to this one.
- 1Craig (CO)1,428 MW
- 2Comanche (CO)1,253 MW
- 3Fort St Vrainthis plant
- 4Cherokee1,006 MW
- 5Rawhide800 MW
Other rankings
- All US power plants
- 250th of 14,286
- US natural gas plants
- 115th of 1,961
- Plants run by Public Service Co of Colorado
- 2nd of 22
- Biggest single unit, among Colorado’s plants
- 7th of 320
Operable units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Gas combined cycle | 175 MW | 150 MW | 1996 | Operating |
| 1 | Gas combined cycle | 343 MW | 308 MW | 1998 | Operating |
| 3 | Gas combined cycle | 175 MW | 142 MW | 1999 | Operating |
| 4 | Gas combined cycle | 175 MW | 142 MW | 2001 | Operating |
| 5 | Gas combustion turbine | 140 MW | 140 MW | 2009 | Operating |
| 6 | Gas combustion turbine | 140 MW | 140 MW | 2009 | Operating |
New units reported to EIA
| Technology | Nameplate | Expected | Stage at end of 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas combustion turbine | 239 MW | 2027 | under construction (under half done) |
| Gas combustion turbine | 239 MW | 2027 | under construction (under half done) |
Grid and site
- Balancing area
- Public Service Company of Colorado
- Reliability region
- Western Electricity Coordinating Council
- Highest grid connection voltage
- 230 kV
- Water source
- So Platte River/St Vrain Creek
- Nearest town on record
- Platteville
- Operator type
- Utility
- Coordinates
- 40.246°N, 104.874°W
Closest plants
| Plant | Runs on | Capacity | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSE Camber Solar PS5 LLC (CSG) | Solar | 1.5 MW | 1.9 mi east |
| NSE Camber Solar PS6 LLC CSG | Solar | 1.5 MW | 2.8 mi east |
| Mead Battery Storage | Battery storage | 7.8 MW | 4.0 mi southwest |
| Vasquez V CSG | Solar | 4 MW | 4.1 mi east |
| Weld 1 Community Solar Array | Solar | 1.5 MW | 4.4 mi east |
| Gilcrest Sun CSG | Solar | 1.8 MW | 4.9 mi northeast |
| Dove Solar CSG | Solar | 5 MW | 5.0 mi north |
| Oak Leaf Solar XXVIII LLC (CSG) | Solar | 1.5 MW | 5.1 mi east |