Holcomb Station — United States of America
Coal power plant in Kansas, United States of America. Approximate location 37.9307889, -100.9724694.
CoalKansasUnited States of Americasubcritical
Holcomb Station is a 1,243.7 MW coal power station in Kansas, United States of America. It is operated by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation Inc [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.6 million homes (estimated). It ranks #439 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1983, it is around 43 years old — long-established. 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).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id GEM_coa_holcomb_unite.
Data status
Known data
Calculated from dataset
Not available
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 349 MW for Holcomb Station, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).
Data provenance
Source of the capacity and fuel values:
capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103921; fuel: GEM GCPT
In context: how this plant compares
At 1,243.7 MW, Holcomb Station is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.
Key facts
- Share of United States of America coal capacity
- 0.2% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
- Age among peers
- 516 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older
Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).
Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Owner
Operated by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation Inc [100%].
Local climate & thermal context
This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 37.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 11% 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: 55/100 — 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
This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.
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 #189 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
- Holcomb · Coal · 348.7 MW · Kansas
- Garden City · Gas · 240 MW · Kansas
- Bonanza BioEnergy LLC · Gas · 2 MW · Kansas
- Jameson Energy Center · Gas · 27.6 MW · Kansas
- Buffalo Dunes Wind Project · Wind · 249.8 MW · Kansas
- Rubart · Gas · 120 MW · Kansas
Location
Coordinates 37.9307889, -100.9724694 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
Frequently asked questions
What type of power plant is Holcomb Station?
Holcomb Station is a 1,243.7 MW coal power plant in Kansas, United States of America, commissioned in 1983.
Who operates Holcomb Station?
Holcomb Station is operated by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation Inc [100%].