21st largest plant in Illinois · 525th nationally
Goose Creek Energy Center is a natural gas power plant in Illinois with a nameplate capacity of 684 MW. It generates roughly 712 MWh per year — enough to power about 67 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 12201 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Goose Creek Energy Center |
|---|---|
| Operator | Union Electric Co - (Mo) |
| City | Monticello |
| County | Piatt County |
| State | Illinois |
| ZIP | 62839 |
| Coordinates | 40.10693, -88.59987 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CT01 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CT02 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CT03 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CT04 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CT05 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CT06 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 114 MW | Operating | 2003 |
| CO₂ | 4.3k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 12201 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.. |
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.