6th largest plant in Illinois · 107th nationally
Powerton is a coal power plant in Illinois with a nameplate capacity of 1,786 MW. It generates roughly 1.3M MWh per year — enough to power about 127,393 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 9% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2780 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 (1,786 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 | Powerton |
|---|---|
| Operator | Midwest Generations Eme Llc |
| City | Pekin |
| County | Tazewell County |
| State | Illinois |
| ZIP | 61554 |
| Coordinates | 40.54080, -89.67860 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 893 MW | Operating | 1972 |
| 6 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 893 MW | Operating | 1975 |
| CO₂ | 1.9M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 903 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 714 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2780 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 | Pjm Interconnection, Llc |
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.