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Audrain Generating Station — United States of America

Gas power plant in Missouri, United States of America. Approximate location 39.3092, -91.5369.

GasMissouriUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Audrain Generating Station is a 816 MW gas power station in Missouri, United States of America. It is operated by Union Electric Co - (MO). Based on reported annual generation of 19 GWh, it can supply roughly 5.3k homes. It ranks #756 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 127,954 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 30k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

816MW installed capacity
19GWh reported / yr
5,342homes powered
127,954t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2001commissioned (~25 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055234.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAudrain Generating Station WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Missouri WRI
Coordinates39.3092, -91.5369 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity816 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000402335; operating plant capacity
OwnerUnion Electric Co - (MO) WRI
Commissioned2001 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr19 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions127,954 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#756 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#314 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers6.73× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent5,342 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.8°C · HDD 2,814 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000402335; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 816 MW, Audrain Generating Station is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

127,954 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

2.3kmillion cubic feet of natural gas burned
27khomes' electricity use for a year
128kacres of US forest absorbing CO₂ for a year
0.02%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
0%, from 19 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
23 GWh in 2013 and 19 GWh in 2019 (−19%)
Highest and lowest year
2018: 50 GWh; 2015: 2 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
944 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 23 GWh20132014: 2 GWh20142015: 2 GWh20152016: 20 GWh20162017: 33 GWh20172018: 50 GWh20182019: 19 GWh201950 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.8°Cannual mean temp
2,814heating degree-days (base 18°C)
581cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
228 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 14% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 57/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
28.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
452 kmdistance to coast

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #314 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 39.3092, -91.5369 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Audrain Generating Station?

Audrain Generating Station is a 816 MW gas power plant in Missouri, United States of America, commissioned in 2001.

How much electricity does Audrain Generating Station generate?

Audrain Generating Station generates about 19 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Audrain Generating Station?

Audrain Generating Station is operated by Union Electric Co - (MO).

How much CO₂ does Audrain Generating Station emit?

Audrain Generating Station has measured emissions of about 127,954 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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