Ghent

Coal power plant in Indiana, United States of America. Approximate location 38.7497, -85.035.

CoalIndianaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Ghent is a 2,226 MW coal power station in Indiana, United States of America. It is operated by Kentucky Utilities Co. Based on reported annual generation of 10,164 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.9 million homes. It ranks #183 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 9,677,872 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 2.3 million 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).

2,226Source-backed capacity
10,164GWh reported / yr
2,904,057homes powered
9,677,872t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001356.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGhent WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Indiana WRI
Coordinates38.7497, -85.035 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,226 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerKentucky Utilities Co WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
GWh reported / yr10,164 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions9,677,872 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#183 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#45 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.99× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,904,057 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.1°C · HDD 2,613 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 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 L100000103941); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,226 MW, Ghent 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.

9,677,872 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

2.3 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
1.3 millionhomes' yearly energy use
161 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: 13,154 GWh20132014: 12,606 GWh20142015: 11,368 GWh20152016: 11,778 GWh20162017: 11,762 GWh20172018: 11,265 GWh20182019: 10,164 GWh201913k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Kentucky Utilities 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 38.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.1°Cannual mean temp
2,613heating degree-days (base 18°C)
495cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
240 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 7 °CND: 2 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 6% 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: 52/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
25.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
365 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 #45 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 38.7497, -85.035 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Ghent?

Ghent is a 2,226 MW source-record coal power plant in Indiana, United States of America, commissioned in 1978.

How much electricity does Ghent generate?

Ghent generates about 10,164 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Ghent power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,904,057 homes.

Who operates Ghent?

Ghent is operated by Kentucky Utilities Co.

How much CO₂ does Ghent emit?

Ghent has measured emissions of about 9,677,872 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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