Flint Creek

Coal power plant in Arkansas, United States of America. Approximate location 36.2561, -94.5241.

CoalArkansasUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Flint Creek is a 558 MW coal power station in Arkansas, United States of America. It is operated by Southwestern Electric Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 2,377 GWh, it can supply roughly 679k homes. It ranks #1189 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 2,278,545 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 531k cars driven for a year. 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).

558Source-backed capacity
2,377GWh reported / yr
679,114homes powered
2,278,545t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006138.

Data status

Known data

FacilityFlint Creek WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arkansas WRI
Coordinates36.2561, -94.5241 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity558 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerSouthwestern Electric Power Co WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
GWh reported / yr2,377 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions2,278,545 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1189 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#400 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent679,114 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.1°C · HDD 2,121 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 L100000103793); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 558 MW, Flint Creek is around 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.

2,278,545 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

531kpassenger cars driven for a year
297khomes' yearly energy use
38 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: 3,066 GWh20132014: 3,636 GWh20142015: 3,041 GWh20152016: 2,041 GWh20162017: 2,734 GWh20172018: 2,670 GWh20182019: 2,377 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Southwestern Electric Power Co. All plants by this company →

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 36.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.1°Cannual mean temp
2,121heating degree-days (base 18°C)
724cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
382 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 8 °CND: 4 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 14% 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: 45/100 — 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
24.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
856 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 #400 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 36.2561, -94.5241 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Flint Creek?

Flint Creek is a 558 MW source-record coal power plant in Arkansas, United States of America, commissioned in 1978.

How much electricity does Flint Creek generate?

Flint Creek generates about 2,377 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Flint Creek power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 679,114 homes.

Who operates Flint Creek?

Flint Creek is operated by Southwestern Electric Power Co.

How much CO₂ does Flint Creek emit?

Flint Creek has measured emissions of about 2,278,545 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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