27th largest plant in Wyoming · 2251st nationally
Wygen Iii is a coal power plant in Wyoming with a nameplate capacity of 116 MW. It generates roughly 794.7k MWh per year — enough to power about 75,686 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 78% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2408 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 (116 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 | Wygen Iii |
|---|---|
| Operator | Black Hills Power, Inc. |
| City | Gillette |
| County | Campbell County |
| State | Wyoming |
| ZIP | 82718 |
| Coordinates | 44.29190, -105.38060 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 116 MW | Operating | 2010 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black Hills Power, Inc. | Rapid City, SD | 5200.0% |
| Montana-Dakota Utilities Co | Bismarck, ND | 2500.0% |
| City Of Gillette | Gillette, WY | 2300.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 956.6k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 182 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 203 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2408 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 |
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.