Kingston

Coal power plant in Tennessee, United States of America. Approximate location 35.8992, -84.5194.

CoalTennesseeUnited States of America

Kingston is a 1,700 MW coal power station in Tennessee, United States of America. It is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. Based on reported annual generation of 3,320 GWh, it can supply roughly 949k homes. It ranks #313 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1954, it is around 72 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

1,700Source-backed capacity
3,320GWh reported / yr
948,571homes powered
1954commissioned (~72 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0003407.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKingston WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Tennessee WRI
Coordinates35.8992, -84.5194 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,700 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTennessee Valley Authority WRI
Commissioned1954 WRI
GWh reported / yr3,320 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions3,320,000 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#313 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#102 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.05× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent948,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.2°C · HDD 2,029 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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.

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 (location L100000104190); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,700 MW, Kingston 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: 3,945 GWh20132014: 5,063 GWh20142015: 3,858 GWh20152016: 5,193 GWh20162017: 4,635 GWh20172018: 3,047 GWh20182019: 3,320 GWh20195k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. 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 35.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.2°Cannual mean temp
2,029heating degree-days (base 18°C)
653cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
278 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 3 °CJF: 5 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 15 °CON: 9 °CND: 5 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 17% below 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: 44/100 — 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)
34/100environmental-severity index
22.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
542 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 #102 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 35.8992, -84.5194 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Kingston?

Kingston is a 1,700 MW source-record coal power plant in Tennessee, United States of America, commissioned in 1954.

How much electricity does Kingston generate?

Kingston generates about 3,320 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Kingston power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 948,571 homes.

Who operates Kingston?

Kingston is operated by Tennessee Valley Authority.

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