6th largest plant in Michigan · 133rd nationally
Belle River is a coal power plant in Michigan with a nameplate capacity of 1,664 MW. It generates roughly 6.0M MWh per year — enough to power about 572,037 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 41% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2118 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 (1,664 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 | Belle River |
|---|---|
| Operator | Dte Electric Company |
| City | China Twp |
| County | St Clair County |
| State | Michigan |
| ZIP | 48054 |
| Coordinates | 42.77560, -82.49500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ST1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 698 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| ST2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 698 MW | Operating | 1985 |
| 12-1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 85.3 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| 12-2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 85.3 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| 13-1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 85.3 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| 3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 4 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 5 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| IC1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| IC2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.7 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Dte Electric Company | Detroit, MI | 8139.0% |
| Michigan Public Power Agency | Lansing, MI | 1861.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 6.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 16.8k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 6.6k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2118 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 | RFC |
|---|---|
| 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.