15th largest plant in Kentucky · 728th nationally
D B Wilson is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 509 MW. It generates roughly 2.9M MWh per year — enough to power about 276,111 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 65% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2431 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 (509 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 | D B Wilson |
|---|---|
| Operator | Big Rivers Electric Corp |
| City | Centertown |
| County | Ohio County |
| State | Kentucky |
| ZIP | 42328 |
| Coordinates | 37.44970, -87.08060 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 509 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| CO₂ | 3.5M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 3.1k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 2.3k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2431 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.