Meramec is retired. EIA's monthly generator inventory (EIA-860M, August 2026) lists every generator at this coal plant as retired; the last one retired in December 2022. It is not counted among Missouri'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 1,041 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 boiler and turbine this size take hours to bring up from cold, so steam plants were built to run steadily for long stretches. A steam plant with a low capacity factor is usually being held in reserve, or run only through the hottest and coldest weeks.
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| Address | 8200 Fine Rd |
|---|---|
| City | St. Louis |
| County | St Louis County |
| State | Missouri |
| ZIP | 63129 |
| Coordinates | 38.40170, -90.33580 |
| Operator | Union Electric Co - (MO) |
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Nameplate capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 359 MW | Retired | 1961 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 289 MW | Retired | 1959 |
| 1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 138 MW | Retired | 1953 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 138 MW | Retired | 1954 |
| GT1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 62.0 MW | Retired | 1974 |
| GT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 56.0 MW | Retired | 2000 |
| 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.