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Campbell Generating Plant

Coal power plant in Michigan, United States of America. Approximate location 42.910296, -86.20074.

CoalMichiganUnited States of Americasubcritical

Campbell Generating Plant is a 1,540 MW coal power station in Michigan, United States of America. It is operated by Consumers Energy Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.9 million homes (estimated). It ranks #361 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1962, it is around 64 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).

1,540MW installed capacity
1,927,200homes powered (est.)
1962commissioned (~64 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityCampbell Generating Plant GEM-coal
CountryUnited States of America · Michigan GEM-coal
Coordinates42.910296, -86.20074 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,540 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000103974; operating plant capacity
OwnerConsumers Energy Co [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1962 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions6,745,200 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#361 / 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#133 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.76× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,927,200 calculated
Climate8.9°C · HDD 3,534 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 43/100 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 · 2026 · L100000103974; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,540 MW, Campbell Generating Plant is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

W A Parish: 3,953 MW4kW A ParishScherer: 3,564 MW4kSchererScherer Steam Generating Station: 3,564 MW4kScherer St…Bowen: 3,499 MW3kBowenPlant Bowen: 3,499 MW3kPlant BowenCrystal River Energy Complex: 3,448 MW3kCrystal Ri…Gibson: 3,340 MW3kGibsonGibson Generating Station: 3,340 MW3kGibson Gen…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Consumers Energy Co [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.9°Cannual mean temp
3,534heating degree-days (base 18°C)
243cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
203 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 2 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -2 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 44% 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: 77/100 — this site sits in the top 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with marine corrosion the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
43/100environmental-severity index
26.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
13 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 #133 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 42.910296, -86.20074 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Campbell Generating Plant?

Campbell Generating Plant is a 1,540 MW coal power plant in Michigan, United States of America, commissioned in 1962.

How many homes can Campbell Generating Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,927,200 homes (estimated).

Who operates Campbell Generating Plant?

Campbell Generating Plant is operated by Consumers Energy Co [100%].

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