Sand Hill
Natural gas power plant in Travis County, Texas. 696.4 MW of nameplate capacity across 8 generators, operated by Austin Energy.
Also known as Sand Hill Energy Center · EIA plant 7900
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 696.4 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 8 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- June 2001First generator online
- Operator
- Austin EnergyEIA operator ID 1015
- Grid
- ERCOTBalancing authority ERCO
- Price nodes
- 3 ERCOT nodesResource nodes with prices
- Location
- Travis County, TX30.2098, −97.6129
- EIA plant ID
- 7900EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Sand Hill produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
1.96 TWh
1,960,692 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
32.1%
2024: 34.9%
January to July 2026
1.01 TWh
Provisional
Range, 2016 to 2025
1.4–2.1
TWh a year. Low 2021, high 2024
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2001 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2002 | 201,453 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 135,014 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 494,317 | Not reported | 4 of 12 |
| 2005 | 1,923,283 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 1,613,191 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 1,826,229 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 1,879,554 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 1,765,616 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 1,756,316 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 1,563,219 | 25.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 1,595,480 | 26.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 1,348,212 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 1,197,899 | 19.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 1,631,347 | 29.2% | 11 of 12 |
| 2016 | 1,610,398 | 26.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 1,381,459 | 22.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 1,803,766 | 29.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 1,517,502 | 24.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 1,574,904 | 25.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 1,370,225 | 22.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 1,617,602 | 26.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 1,861,857 | 30.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 2,134,378 | 34.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 1,960,692 | 32.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | 1,010,012 | 28.5% | 7 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free account · ERCOTEmissions
Free · EPA CAMPDCO₂, 2025
968,341
US short tons. 2024: 1.02M
SO₂, 2025
5
US short tons
NOx, 2025
110
US short tons
CO₂ per MWh, calculated
0.49 t
About 988 lb per MWh
7 of 7 EPA units reported CO₂ in 2025 (SH1, SH2, SH3, SH4, SH5, SH6, SH7), matched to EIA plant 7900 through the EPA–EIA crosswalk. The per-MWh rate is EPA CO₂ divided by EIA-923 net generation. The two reporting boundaries can differ.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSWithdrawal, 2024
449
million gallons
Consumption, 2024
208
million gallons
Source
Colorado River/ SA Reg WWTP
Surface, Fresh. Induced-draft tower
Watershed stress
Moderate · 0.507
USGS SUI, HUC12 Carson Creek-Colorado River
12 of 12 cooling months report withdrawal. SUI of the source river HUC12 within 3 km. Blank volumes are unreported, not zero.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5A | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 198.0 | September 2004 |
| 5C | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | 190.0 | September 2004 |
| SH1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2001 |
| SH2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2001 |
| SH3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2001 |
| SH4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2001 |
| SH6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2010 |
| SH7 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 51.4 | June 2010 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists Austin Energy as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
Generation potential vs reported
Monthly potential at seasonal net capability, next to EIA-923 output. Shows how much of the plant's capability was used.
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Power plants near Sand Hill
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Questions about Sand Hill
How much power does Sand Hill produce?
Sand Hill reported 1,960,692 MWh (1.96 TWh) of net generation in 2025, a 32.1% capacity factor on 696.4 MW of nameplate capacity. From January to July 2026 it reported 1.01 TWh, which is provisional.
Where is Sand Hill?
Sand Hill is in Travis County, Texas, at 30.2098, −97.6129. It is in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. balancing area (ERCO).
Who operates Sand Hill?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists Austin Energy as the operator (EIA operator ID 1015). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Sand Hill start operating?
Its first generator began operating in June 2001, according to EIA-860M.
Does InfraMap have power prices for Sand Hill?
Yes. InfraMap has ERCOT day-ahead and real-time prices at 3 price nodes linked to Sand Hill, with the hub price and node-to-hub basis. Prices are free with an InfraMap account; pricing node names are part of InfraMap Pro.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- EPA CAMPD annual emissions through the EPA–EIA crosswalk, 1995 to 2025
- ERCOT day-ahead and real-time prices; node and hub assignments as of 2026-10-05
- EIA-923 cooling water 2024 and the USGS surface water supply and use index, Water years 2010-2020 (Oct 2009 to Sep 2020), mean of monthly values
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page