John P Madgett — United States of America

Coal power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America. Approximate location 44.3036, -91.9126.

CoalWisconsinUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

John P Madgett is a 387 MW coal power station in Wisconsin, United States of America. It is operated by Dairyland Power Coop. Based on reported annual generation of 1,535 GWh, it can supply roughly 439k homes. It ranks #1397 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1979, it is around 47 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 1,546,538 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 360k 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).

387MW installed capacity
1,535GWh reported / yr
438,542homes powered
1,546,538t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1979commissioned (~47 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0004271.

Data status

Known data

FacilityJohn P Madgett WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Wisconsin WRI
Coordinates44.3036, -91.9126 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity387 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000104272; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerDairyland Power Coop WRI
Commissioned1979 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,535 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions1,546,538 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1397 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#476 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.69× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent438,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate7.2°C · HDD 4,176 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000104272; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 387 MW, John P Madgett is below 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.

1,546,538 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

8.6krailcars of coal burned
360kgasoline cars driven for a year
462wind turbines running for a year
0.20%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
45%, from 1,535 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%
Generation trend
2,453 GWh in 2013 and 1,535 GWh in 2019 (−37%)
Highest and lowest year
2013: 2,453 GWh; 2014: 1,384 GWh
Share of United States of America coal capacity
less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
435 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)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 2,453 GWh20132014: 1,384 GWh20142015: 1,503 GWh20152016: 1,787 GWh20162017: 1,532 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 1,535 GWh20192k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Dairyland Power Coop.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.2°Cannual mean temp
4,176heating degree-days (base 18°C)
249cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
290 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -10 °CJF: -7 °CFM: 0 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 22 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 9 °CON: 1 °CND: -7 °CD22 °C

Heating degree-days here run 70% 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: 86/100 — 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

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
32.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
319 kmdistance to coast

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 #476 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 44.3036, -91.9126 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is John P Madgett?

John P Madgett is a 387 MW coal power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America, commissioned in 1979.

How much electricity does John P Madgett generate?

John P Madgett generates about 1,535 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates John P Madgett?

John P Madgett is operated by Dairyland Power Coop.

How much CO₂ does John P Madgett emit?

John P Madgett has measured emissions of about 1,546,538 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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