2nd largest plant in Louisiana · 83rd nationally
Big Cajun 2 is a coal power plant in Louisiana with a nameplate capacity of 1,903 MW. It generates roughly 2.3M MWh per year — enough to power about 221,391 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 14% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1986 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 (1,903 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 | Big Cajun 2 |
|---|---|
| Operator | Louisiana Generating Llc |
| City | New Roads |
| County | Pointe Coupee County |
| State | Louisiana |
| ZIP | 70760 |
| Coordinates | 30.72610, -91.36920 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC24 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 730 MW | Cancelled | — |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 658 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 626 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 619 MW | Operating | 1983 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Generating Llc | New Roads, LA | 5800.0% |
| Entergy Louisiana Llc | Jefferson, LA | 2415.0% |
| Entergy Texas Inc. | The Woodlands, TX | 1785.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 2.3M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 3.7k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.4k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1986 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.