Gibson

Coal power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 38.3722, -87.7658.

CoalIllinoisUnited States of AmericaAnnounced

Gibson is a 3,340 MW coal power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 12,184 GWh, it can supply roughly 3.5 million homes. It ranks #41 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).

3,340Source-backed capacity
12,184GWh reported / yr
3,481,171homes powered
1978Announced year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006113.

Data status

Known data

FacilityGibson WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates38.3722, -87.7658 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity3,340 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerDuke Energy Indiana LLC WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
GWh reported / yr12,184 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions12,184,100 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#41 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#7 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers5.98× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,481,171 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.1°C · HDD 2,442 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 L100000103889); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 3,340 MW, Gibson is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Its current lifecycle status is “announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 17,332 GWh20132014: 17,747 GWh20142015: 14,586 GWh20152016: 16,675 GWh20162017: 17,997 GWh20172018: 17,632 GWh20182019: 12,184 GWh201918k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC. 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 38.4°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 #7 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 38.3722, -87.7658 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Gibson?

Gibson is a 3,340 MW source-record coal power plant in Illinois, United States of America, planned/announced for 1978.

How much electricity does Gibson generate?

Gibson generates about 12,184 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Gibson power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,481,171 homes.

Who operates Gibson?

Gibson is operated by Duke Energy Indiana LLC.

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