Aurora

Gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 41.8151, -88.2265.

GasIllinoisUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Aurora is a 1,090 MW gas power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Aurora Generation LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 651 GWh, it can supply roughly 186k homes. It ranks #601 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2001, it is around 25 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 218,334 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 51k 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).

1,090Source-backed capacity
651GWh reported / yr
185,914homes powered
218,334t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2001commissioned (~25 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055279.

Data status

Known data

FacilityAurora WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates41.8151, -88.2265 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,090 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAurora Generation LLC WRI
Commissioned2001 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr651 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions218,334 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#601 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#188 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers8.99× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent185,914 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.8°C · HDD 3,367 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000401731); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,090 MW, Aurora is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 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.

218,334 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

51kpassenger cars driven for a year
28khomes' yearly energy use
3.6 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 51 GWh20132014: 50 GWh20142015: 44 GWh20152016: 382 GWh20162017: 383 GWh20172018: 678 GWh20182019: 651 GWh2019678 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Aurora Generation LLC.

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 41.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.8°Cannual mean temp
3,367heating degree-days (base 18°C)
393cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
219 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 4 °CND: -3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 37% 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: 73/100 — this site sits in the top 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
29.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
62 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #188 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 41.8151, -88.2265 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Aurora?

Aurora is a 1,090 MW source-record gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 2001.

How much electricity does Aurora generate?

Aurora generates about 651 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Aurora power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 185,914 homes.

Who operates Aurora?

Aurora is operated by Aurora Generation LLC.

How much CO₂ does Aurora emit?

Aurora has measured emissions of about 218,334 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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