32nd largest plant in Texas · 313th nationally
Sandy Creek Energy Station is a coal power plant in Texas with a nameplate capacity of 1,008 MW. It generates roughly 3.3M MWh per year — enough to power about 313,827 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 37% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2295 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 (1,008 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 | Sandy Creek Energy Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Sandy Creek Energy Associates Lp |
| City | Riesel |
| County | Mclennan County |
| State | Texas |
| ZIP | 76682 |
| Coordinates | 31.47438, -96.95715 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S01 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 1,008 MW | Operating | 2013 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sandy Creek Energy Associates Lp | Riesel, TX | 6387.0% |
| Riesel Holdco, Llc | Paramus, NJ | 2500.0% |
| Lower Colorado River Authority | Austin, TX | 1113.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 3.8M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.7k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 753 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2295 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 | TRE |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Electric Reliability Council Of Texas, 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.