Joliet 29

Gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America. Approximate location 41.4946, -88.1238.

GasIllinoisUnited States of AmericaSteamCO₂ measured

Joliet 29 is a 1,320 MW gas power station in Illinois, United States of America. It is operated by Midwest Generations EME LLC. Based on reported annual generation of 1,420 GWh, it can supply roughly 406k homes. It ranks #441 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1965, it is around 61 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 417,353 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 97k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

1,320Legacy source-record capacity
1,420GWh reported / yr
405,571homes powered
417,353t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1965commissioned (~61 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0000384.

Data status

Known data

FacilityJoliet 29 WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Illinois WRI
Coordinates41.4946, -88.1238 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity1,320 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMidwest Generations EME LLC WRI
Commissioned1965 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr1,420 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions417,353 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#441 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#117 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers10.89× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent405,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.6°C · HDD 3,402 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

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 fuel fields on this page are source-record values from the upstream open dataset. They are useful for identification and ranking, but they have not been upgraded to a 2026 registry/GEM-location verified value.

capacity: WRI Global Power Plant Database source-record (legacy); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,320 MW, Joliet 29 is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

417,353 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

97kpassenger cars driven for a year
54khomes' yearly energy use
7.0 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: 5,650 GWh20132014: 5,061 GWh20142015: 5,467 GWh20152016: 1,601 GWh20162017: 322 GWh20172018: 628 GWh20182019: 1,420 GWh20196k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Midwest Generations EME LLC.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.6°Cannual mean temp
3,402heating degree-days (base 18°C)
362cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
216 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 4 °CND: -3 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 38% 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: 73/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
36/100environmental-severity index
29.0°Cseasonal temperature swing
59 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 #117 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.4946, -88.1238 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Joliet 29?

Joliet 29 is a 1,320 MW source-record gas power plant in Illinois, United States of America, commissioned in 1965.

How much electricity does Joliet 29 generate?

Joliet 29 generates about 1,420 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Joliet 29 power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 405,571 homes.

Who operates Joliet 29?

Joliet 29 is operated by Midwest Generations EME LLC.

How much CO₂ does Joliet 29 emit?

Joliet 29 has measured emissions of about 417,353 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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