16th largest plant in Kentucky · 941st nationally
Cooper is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 344 MW. It generates roughly 477.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 45,473 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 16% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2224 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 (344 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 | Cooper |
|---|---|
| Operator | East Kentucky Power Coop, Inc |
| City | Somerset |
| County | Pulaski County |
| State | Kentucky |
| ZIP | 42501 |
| Coordinates | 36.99810, -84.59190 |
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 | Bituminous Coal | 230 MW | Operating | 1969 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 114 MW | Operating | 1965 |
| CO₂ | 530.8k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 149 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 241 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2224 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 | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.