1st largest plant in Colorado · 170th nationally
Craig (Co) is a coal power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 1,428 MW. It generates roughly 4.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 448,621 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 38% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2464 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 (1,428 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 | Craig (Co) |
|---|---|
| Operator | Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc |
| City | Craig |
| County | Moffat County |
| State | Colorado |
| ZIP | 81626 |
| Coordinates | 40.46270, -107.59120 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 535 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 446 MW | Operating | 1980 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 446 MW | Operating | 1979 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Salt River Project | Phoenix, AZ | 2900.0% |
| Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc | Westminster, CO | 2400.0% |
| Pacificorp | Portland, OR | 1928.0% |
| Platte River Power Authority | Fort Collins, CO | 1800.0% |
| Public Service Co Of Colorado | Denver, CO | 972.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 5.8M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2.0k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 5.1k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2464 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 | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region |
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.