3rd largest plant in Louisiana · 126th nationally
Brame Energy Center is a coal power plant in Louisiana with a nameplate capacity of 1,707 MW. It generates roughly 4.1M MWh per year — enough to power about 391,000 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 27% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2134 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 (1,707 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 | Brame Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Cleco Power Llc |
| City | Lena |
| County | Rapides County |
| State | Louisiana |
| ZIP | 71447 |
| Coordinates | 31.39500, -92.71667 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Petroleum Coke | PC | 704 MW | Operating | 2010 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 558 MW | Operating | 1982 |
| 1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 446 MW | Operating | 1975 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Utilities System | Lafayette, LA | 5000.0% |
| Cleco Power Llc | Pineville, LA | 3000.0% |
| Louisiana Energy & Power Authority | Lafayette, LA | 2000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 4.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 3.2k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 3.8k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2134 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.