27th largest plant in Colorado · 1274th nationally
South Plant (Co) is a natural gas power plant in Colorado with a nameplate capacity of 245 MW. It generates roughly 130.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 12,407 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 6% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1285 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | South Plant (Co) |
|---|---|
| Operator | City Of Colorado Springs - (Co) |
| City | Colorado Springs |
| County | El Paso County |
| State | Colorado |
| ZIP | 80903 |
| Coordinates | 38.82444, -104.83333 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 132 MW | Retired | 1974 |
| 6 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 75.0 MW | Retired | 1968 |
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 50.0 MW | Retired | 1962 |
| A1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| A2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| A3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| A4 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| A5 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.9 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| A6 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 40.6 MW | Operating | 2023 |
| CO₂ | 83.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 59 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1285 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 |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.