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Gibson Generating Station

Coal power plant in Indiana, United States of America. Approximate location 38.371381, -87.768189.

CoalIndianaUnited States of Americasupercritical

Gibson Generating Station is a 3,339.5 MW coal power station in Indiana, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 4.2 million homes (estimated). It ranks #42 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1975, it is around 51 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).

3,339.5MW installed capacity
4,179,145homes powered (est.)
1975commissioned (~51 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityGibson Generating Station GEM-coal
CountryUnited States of America · Indiana GEM-coal
Coordinates38.371381, -87.768189 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity3,339.5 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000103889; operating plant capacity
OwnerDuke Energy Indiana LLC [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1975 GEM-coal
Technologysupercritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions14,627,010 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#42 / 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#8 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.98× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent4,179,145 calculated
Climate13.1°C · HDD 2,442 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 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 · L100000103889; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 3,339.5 MW, Gibson Generating Station is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as supercritical. 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 Duke Energy Indiana LLC [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 38.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.1°Cannual mean temp
2,442heating degree-days (base 18°C)
675cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
130 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -1 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 8 °CND: 2 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 1% 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: 50/100 — 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
26.4°Cseasonal temperature swing
378 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 #8 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 38.371381, -87.768189 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gibson Generating Station?

Gibson Generating Station is a 3,339.5 MW coal power plant in Indiana, United States of America, commissioned in 1975.

How many homes can Gibson Generating Station power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 4,179,145 homes (estimated).

Who operates Gibson Generating Station?

Gibson Generating Station is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC [100%].

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