Jim Bridger

Coal power plant in Wyoming, United States of America. Approximate location 41.7378, -108.7875.

CoalWyomingUnited States of America

Jim Bridger is a 2,326 MW coal power station in Wyoming, United States of America. It is operated by PacifiCorp. Based on reported annual generation of 11,255 GWh, it can supply roughly 3.2 million homes. It ranks #155 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1976, it is around 50 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).

2,326Source-backed capacity
11,255GWh reported / yr
3,215,714homes powered
1976commissioned (~50 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008066.

Data status

Known data

FacilityJim Bridger WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Wyoming WRI
Coordinates41.7378, -108.7875 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity2,326 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPacifiCorp WRI
Commissioned1976 WRI
GWh reported / yr11,255 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions11,255,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#155 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#40 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers4.17× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent3,215,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate5.3°C · HDD 4,644 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 37/100 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 1,162 MW for Jim Bridger Steam Plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: D_REJECT_KEEP_MASTER - recommended action: keep_master - confidence: rejected_candidate. 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 L100000104283); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 2,326 MW, Jim Bridger 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 14,817 GWh20132014: 14,016 GWh20142015: 13,439 GWh20152016: 11,686 GWh20162017: 11,643 GWh20172018: 10,967 GWh20182019: 11,255 GWh201915k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by PacifiCorp. 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

5.3°Cannual mean temp
4,644heating degree-days (base 18°C)
18cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,091 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -7 °CJF: -5 °CFM: -1 °CMA: 4 °CAM: 9 °CMJ: 14 °CJJ: 19 °CJA: 18 °CAS: 13 °CSO: 6 °CON: -1 °CND: -6 °CD19 °C

Heating degree-days here run 89% 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: 92/100 — this site sits in the top 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
37/100environmental-severity index
25.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
1229 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 #40 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 41.7378, -108.7875 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Jim Bridger?

Jim Bridger is a 2,326 MW source-record coal power plant in Wyoming, United States of America, commissioned in 1976.

How much electricity does Jim Bridger generate?

Jim Bridger generates about 11,255 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Jim Bridger power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 3,215,714 homes.

Who operates Jim Bridger?

Jim Bridger is operated by PacifiCorp.

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