3rd largest plant in Wisconsin · 223rd nationally
South Oak Creek is a coal power plant in Wisconsin with a nameplate capacity of 1,240 MW. It generates roughly 3.6M MWh per year — enough to power about 341,116 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 33% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2420 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 (1,240 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 | South Oak Creek |
|---|---|
| Operator | Wisconsin Electric Power Co |
| City | Oak Creek |
| County | Milwaukee County |
| State | Wisconsin |
| ZIP | 53154 |
| Coordinates | 42.84570, -87.82940 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 324 MW | Operating | 1967 |
| 7 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 318 MW | Operating | 1965 |
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | RC | 299 MW | Retired | 1959 |
| 6 | Conventional Steam Coal | RC | 299 MW | Retired | 1961 |
| 9 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 19.6 MW | Retired | 1968 |
| CO₂ | 4.3M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 116 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.3k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2420 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 | RFC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, 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.