23rd largest plant in Colorado · 1125th nationally
Ray D Nixon is a coal power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 283 MW. It generates roughly 976.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 92,996 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 39% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2395 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 (283 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 | Ray D Nixon |
|---|---|
| Operator | City Of Colorado Springs - (Co) |
| City | Fountain |
| County | El Paso County |
| State | Colorado |
| ZIP | 80817 |
| Coordinates | 38.63345, -104.70577 |
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 | 207 MW | Operating | 1980 |
| GT1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 37.8 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| GT2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 37.8 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| CO₂ | 1.2M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 411 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 892 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2395 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 | Western Area Power Administration - Rocky Mountain Region |
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.