Hawthorn

Coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America. Approximate location 39.1306, -94.4778.

CoalMissouriUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Hawthorn is a 1,042 MW coal power station in Missouri, United States of America. It is operated by Evergy Metro. Based on reported annual generation of 3,092 GWh, it can supply roughly 884k homes. It ranks #631 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1982, it is around 44 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 2,437,549 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 568k 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).

1,042Source-backed capacity
3,092GWh reported / yr
883,514homes powered
2,437,549t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1982commissioned (~44 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002079.

Data status

Known data

FacilityHawthorn WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Missouri WRI
Coordinates39.1306, -94.4778 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,042 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEvergy Metro WRI
Commissioned1982 WRI
GWh reported / yr3,092 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions2,437,549 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#631 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#241 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.87× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent883,514 calculated from reported generation
Climate12.6°C · HDD 2,641 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 565 MW for Hawthorn Station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 operating-unit sum (location L100000104016); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,042 MW, Hawthorn 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.

2,437,549 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

568kpassenger cars driven for a year
318khomes' yearly energy use
41 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: 4,035 GWh20132014: 3,413 GWh20142015: 3,571 GWh20152016: 2,704 GWh20162017: 3,253 GWh20172018: 2,981 GWh20182019: 3,092 GWh20194k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Evergy Metro. 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 39.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

12.6°Cannual mean temp
2,641heating degree-days (base 18°C)
706cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
267 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: 1 °CFM: 7 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 14 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 7% 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: 53/100 — 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
28.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
678 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 #241 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 39.1306, -94.4778 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Hawthorn?

Hawthorn is a 1,042 MW source-record coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America, commissioned in 1982.

How much electricity does Hawthorn generate?

Hawthorn generates about 3,092 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Hawthorn power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 883,514 homes.

Who operates Hawthorn?

Hawthorn is operated by Evergy Metro.

How much CO₂ does Hawthorn emit?

Hawthorn has measured emissions of about 2,437,549 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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