6th largest plant in Kentucky · 146th nationally
Shawnee is a coal power plant in Kentucky with a nameplate capacity of 1,575 MW. It generates roughly 4.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 449,806 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 34% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2699 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 (1,575 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 | Shawnee |
|---|---|
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| City | West Paducah |
| County | Mccracken County |
| State | Kentucky |
| ZIP | 42086 |
| Coordinates | 37.15170, -88.77500 |
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 | 175 MW | Operating | 1953 |
| 10 | Conventional Steam Coal | Bituminous Coal | 175 MW | Retired | 1956 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1953 |
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1953 |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1954 |
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1954 |
| 6 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1954 |
| 7 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1954 |
| 8 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1955 |
| 9 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 175 MW | Operating | 1955 |
| CO₂ | 6.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 11.7k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 6.2k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2699 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 | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Tennessee Valley Authority |
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.