127th largest plant in Michigan · 5032nd nationally
Western Michigan University Power Plant is a natural gas power plant in Michigan with a nameplate capacity of 16.7 MW. It generates roughly 71.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 6,788 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 49% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 638 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (16.7 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 | Western Michigan University Power Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Western Michigan University |
| City | Kalamazoo |
| County | Kalamazoo County |
| State | Michigan |
| ZIP | 49008 |
| Coordinates | 42.28000, -85.60639 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GTG-7 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 5.0 MW | Operating | 1997 |
| GTG-8 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 5.0 MW | Operating | 1997 |
| EG-10 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| EG-9 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.5 MW | Operating | 2021 |
| STG-1 | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 0.9 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| EG-1 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1999 |
| CO₂ | 22.7k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 111 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 638 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.. |
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.