5th largest plant in Colorado · 427th nationally
Rawhide is a coal power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 800 MW. It generates roughly 1.5M MWh per year — enough to power about 143,004 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 21% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2115 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 (800 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 | Rawhide |
|---|---|
| Operator | Platte River Power Authority |
| City | Wellington |
| County | Larimer County |
| State | Colorado |
| ZIP | 80549 |
| Coordinates | 40.86091, -105.02121 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 294 MW | Operating | 1984 |
| F | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 150 MW | Operating | 2008 |
| A | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 89.3 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| B | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 89.3 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| C | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 89.3 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| D | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 89.3 MW | Operating | 2004 |
| G | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 44.6 MW | Planned | — |
| H | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 44.6 MW | Planned | — |
| LM3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 44.6 MW | Planned | — |
| LM4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 44.6 MW | Planned | — |
| LM5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 44.6 MW | Planned | — |
| CO₂ | 1.6M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 502 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 824 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2115 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 | WECC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Public Service Company Of Colorado |
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.