13th largest plant in Illinois · 214th nationally
Baldwin Energy Complex is a coal power plant in Illinois with a nameplate capacity of 1,260 MW. It generates roughly 5.9M MWh per year — enough to power about 561,795 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 53% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2253 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,260 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | Baldwin Energy Complex |
|---|---|
| Operator | Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc |
| City | Baldwin |
| County | Randolph County |
| State | Illinois |
| ZIP | 62217 |
| Coordinates | 38.20500, -89.85440 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 635 MW | Operating | 1973 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | RC | 635 MW | Retired | 1975 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 625 MW | Operating | 1970 |
| CO₂ | 6.6M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2.4k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 2.1k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2253 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.