Four Corners

⛏ CoalElectric Utility1,636 MW capacity

1st largest plant in New Mexico · 137th nationally

Four Corners is a coal power plant in New Mexico with a nameplate capacity of 1,636 MW. It generates roughly 7.4M MWh per year — enough to power about 708,086 average U.S. homes.

Its capacity factor of 52% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2112 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.

PeakingMid-meritBaseload0%40%80%100%52%
Mid-merit — steady but not full-time

Month by month in 2024

100% capacity0Jan: 960.1k MWh (79% of capacity)JFeb: 826.0k MWh (75% of capacity)FMar: 532.1k MWh (44% of capacity)MApr: 590.1k MWh (50% of capacity)AMay: 734.4k MWh (60% of capacity)MJun: 922.2k MWh (78% of capacity)JJul: 953.3k MWh (78% of capacity)JAug: 751.0k MWh (62% of capacity)ASep: 800.8k MWh (68% of capacity)SOct: 589.1k MWh (48% of capacity)ONov: 433.7k MWh (37% of capacity)NDec: 400.6k MWh (33% of capacity)D

Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (1,636 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.

Capacity1,636 MWnameplate
Annual Generation7.4M MWhEPA eGRID
Capacity Factor52%of theoretical max
Annual CO₂7.9Mmetric tons

Location

Plant NameFour Corners
OperatorArizona Public Service Co
CityFruitland
CountySan Juan County
StateNew Mexico
ZIP87416
Coordinates36.69000, -108.48140

This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.

Natural GasCoalSolar

Generators (5)

IDTechnologyFuelCapacityStatusOnline
4Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal818 MWOperating1969
5Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal818 MWOperating1970
3Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal253 MWRetired1964
1Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal190 MWRetired1963
2Conventional Steam CoalBituminous Coal190 MWRetired1963

Ownership

OwnerLocationShare
Arizona Public Service CoPhoenix, AZ6300.0%
Public Service Co Of NmAlbuquerque, NM1300.0%
Salt River ProjectPhoenix, AZ1000.0%
Tucson Electric Power CoTucson, AZ700.0%
4c Acquisition, LlcPhoenix, AZ700.0%
El Paso Electric CoEl Paso, TX700.0%

Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.

Emissions (annual)

CO₂7.9M metric tons
SO₂1.8k metric tons
NOₓ2.6k metric tons
CO₂ Rate2112 lb/MWh
U.S. grid average800 lb/MWhNatural gas combined-cycle average900 lb/MWhCoal plant average2,100 lb/MWhThis plant2,112 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.

Grid context

NERC RegionWECC
Balancing AuthorityArizona Public Service Company

About Coal plants

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.

Other plants in San Juan County

View all plants in San Juan County →

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