Home / North America / United States of America / Baldwin Energy Complex

Baldwin Energy Complex

Coal power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 38.205, -89.8544.

CoalIllinoisUnited States of America

Baldwin Energy Complex is a 1,894 MW coal power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 6,292 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.8 million homes. It ranks #247 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1972, it is around 54 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

1,894Source-backed capacity
6,292GWh reported / yr
1,797,714homes powered
1972commissioned (~54 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000889.

Data status

Known data

FacilityBaldwin Energy Complex WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates38.205, -89.8544 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,894 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDynegy Midwest Generation Inc WRI
Commissioned1972 WRI
GWh reported / yr6,292 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions6,292,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#247 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#67 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.39× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,797,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.1°C · HDD 2,463 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset
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 (location L100000103853); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,894 MW, Baldwin Energy Complex is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Coal plants burn pulverised coal to raise high-pressure steam for a turbine; they run as baseload but are the most carbon-intensive mainstream source and the first targeted for retirement or efficiency retrofits.

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 12,529 GWh20132014: 11,702 GWh20142015: 10,306 GWh20152016: 9,793 GWh20162017: 7,874 GWh20172018: 7,209 GWh20182019: 6,292 GWh201913k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 38.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.1°Cannual mean temp
2,463heating degree-days (base 18°C)
684cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
151 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 2 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 0% 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: 50/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
26.9°Cseasonal temperature swing
452 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 #67 largest coal power plant of 802 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 802 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 621,194 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 38.205, -89.8544 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Baldwin Energy Complex?

Baldwin Energy Complex is a 1,894 MW source-record coal power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 1972.

How much electricity does Baldwin Energy Complex generate?

Baldwin Energy Complex generates about 6,292 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Baldwin Energy Complex power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,797,714 homes.

Who operates Baldwin Energy Complex?

Baldwin Energy Complex is operated by Dynegy Midwest Generation Inc.

Built from open public data; no personal information. Operate this site? Request a correction or removal.