Crow Nation CFB

Coal power plant in Montana, United States of America. Approximate location 45.603246, -107.458564.

CoalMontanaUnited States of Americasubcritical

Crow Nation CFB is a 2,000 MW coal power station in Montana, United States of America. It is operated by Westmoreland Coal Co; Crow Nation. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 2.5 million homes (estimated). It ranks #222 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. 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).

2,000MW installed capacity
2,502,857homes powered (est.)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityCrow Nation CFB GEM-coal
CountryUnited States of America · Montana GEM-coal
Coordinates45.603246, -107.458564 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity2,000 MW GEM GCPT; source record
OwnerWestmoreland Coal Co; Crow Nation GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions8,760,000 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#222 / 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#57 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.58× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,502,857 calculated
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

CommissionedNot 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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: GEM GCPT; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,000 MW, Crow Nation CFB 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 Westmoreland Coal Co; Crow Nation.

Climate zone & how it works

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 45.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

~10°Ctypical annual mean
~23°Ctypical warm-season mean
Cold semi-arid steppe: four distinct seasons — cold winters and warm summers

Climate zone & typical temperatures: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid).

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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
28.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
995 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 #57 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 45.603246, -107.458564 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Crow Nation CFB?

Crow Nation CFB is a 2,000 MW coal power plant in Montana, United States of America.

How many homes can Crow Nation CFB power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,502,857 homes (estimated).

Who operates Crow Nation CFB?

Crow Nation CFB is operated by Westmoreland Coal Co; Crow Nation.

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