17th largest plant in Nebraska · 1342nd nationally
Sheldon is a coal power plant in Nebraska with a nameplate capacity of 229 MW. It generates roughly 720.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 68,658 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 36% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2504 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 (229 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 | Sheldon |
|---|---|
| Operator | Nebraska Public Power District |
| City | Hallam |
| County | Lancaster County |
| State | Nebraska |
| ZIP | 68368 |
| Coordinates | 40.55890, -96.78470 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 120 MW | Operating | 1965 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 109 MW | Operating | 1961 |
| CO₂ | 902.4k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2.5k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.9k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2504 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 | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Southwest Power Pool |
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.