84th largest plant in Indiana · 5452nd nationally
Caterpillar is a natural gas power plant in Indiana with a nameplate capacity of 11.8 MW. It generates roughly 27.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 2,603 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 26% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1322 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Caterpillar |
|---|---|
| Operator | Caterpillar Inc |
| City | Lafayette |
| County | Tippecanoe County |
| State | Indiana |
| ZIP | 47905 |
| Coordinates | 40.41750, -86.84470 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ET1-1 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| ET4 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| 0101 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0102 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0103 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0104 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0105 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0106 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0107 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| 0108 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2001 |
| ET1 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Retired | 2011 |
| ET2 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2011 |
| 516A | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.8 MW | Operating | 1996 |
| ET3 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 1.8 MW | Out of Service | 2024 |
| 3516 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.2 MW | Retired | 1987 |
| 3512 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.9 MW | Retired | 1983 |
| R12 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.4 MW | Standby | 2001 |
| CO₂ | 18.1k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 15 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 357 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1322 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.. |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.