164th largest plant in Kansas · 12726th nationally
Thunderbird Generator (Tbird) is a oil power plant in Kansas with a nameplate capacity of 1.0 MW. It generates roughly 106 MWh per year — enough to power about 10 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 1% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1607 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Thunderbird Generator (Tbird) |
|---|---|
| Operator | 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative, Inc. |
| City | Emporia |
| County | Lyon County |
| State | Kansas |
| ZIP | 66801 |
| Coordinates | 38.46893, -96.25358 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBRID | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.0 MW | Operating | 2019 |
| CO₂ | 85 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 2 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1607 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 |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.