Mabelvale is retired. EIA's monthly generator inventory (EIA-860M, August 2026) lists every generator at this natural gas plant as retired; the last one retired in June 2016. It is not counted among Arkansas's operating plants or in any ranking on this site.
The figures below describe the plant when it ran: equipment from EIA Form 860 (2024).
The 78.0 MW is nameplate capacity: the most this plant's generators are rated to produce, not what it actually generates. EPA eGRID reports no positive net generation for it this year.
How it works
Why the numbers look like this: a combustion turbine can go from cold to full power in well under an hour, often minutes, so grid operators call on these plants for the few hottest or coldest hours of the year. A low capacity factor here is the job description, not a failure.
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| Address | Vyme Ridge Road |
|---|---|
| City | Mabelvale |
| County | Pulaski County |
| State | Arkansas |
| ZIP | 72103 |
| Coordinates | 34.63600, -92.40960 |
| Operator | Entergy Arkansas LLC |
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Nameplate capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 19.5 MW | Retired | 1970 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 19.5 MW | Retired | 1970 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 19.5 MW | Retired | 1970 |
| 4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 19.5 MW | Retired | 1970 |
| 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.