19th largest plant in Indiana · 694th nationally
Michigan City is a coal power plant in Indiana with a nameplate capacity of 540 MW. It generates roughly 1.4M MWh per year — enough to power about 135,922 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 30% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2254 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 (540 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 | Michigan City |
|---|---|
| Operator | Northern Indiana Pub Serv Co |
| City | Michigan City |
| County | Laporte County |
| State | Indiana |
| ZIP | 46360 |
| Coordinates | 41.72080, -86.90860 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 540 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| 2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 70.0 MW | Retired | 1950 |
| 3 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 70.0 MW | Retired | 1951 |
| CO₂ | 1.6M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 640 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 684 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2254 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 | RFC |
|---|---|
| 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.