Elmer Smith Station — United States of America

Elmer Smith Station is a 445.3 MW coal power station in Kentucky, United States of America. It is operated by Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 557k homes (estimated). It ranks #1311 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1964, it is around 62 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).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 445.3 MW, Elmer Smith Station is below 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.

Key facts

Share of United States of America coal capacity

less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

212 of 745 dated coal 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)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

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

Owner

Operated by Owensboro Municipal Utilities [100%].

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 37.8°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 5% below 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: 48/100 — 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

This site sits in a moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

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 #444 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

• Elmer Smith · Coal · 445.3 MW · Kentucky
• Rockport · Coal · 2,600 MW · Indiana
• Rockport Plant · Coal · 2,600 MW · Indiana
• Rockport nuclear power plant · Nuclear · 300 MW · Indiana
• F. B. Culley power station · Coal · 414.9 MW · Indiana
• F B Culley · Coal · 368.9 MW · Indiana

Location

Coordinates 37.794683, -87.060717 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions