13th largest plant in Michigan · 333rd nationally
Zeeland Generating Station is a natural gas power plant in Michigan with a nameplate capacity of 968 MW. It generates roughly 4.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 448,305 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 56% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 1021 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 (968 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 | Zeeland Generating Station |
|---|---|
| Operator | Consumers Energy Co - (Mi) |
| City | Zeeland |
| County | Ottawa County |
| State | Michigan |
| ZIP | 49464 |
| Coordinates | 42.82060, -85.99750 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2C | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 213 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| 1A | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 189 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 1B | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 189 MW | Operating | 2001 |
| 2A | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 189 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| 2B | Natural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Natural Gas | 189 MW | Operating | 2002 |
| CO₂ | 2.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 12 metric tons |
| NOₓ | 369 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1021 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.