La Cygne

Coal power plant in Kansas, United States of America. Approximate location 38.3481, -94.6456.

CoalKansasUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

La Cygne is a 1,578 MW coal power station in Kansas, United States of America. It is operated by Evergy Metro. Based on reported annual generation of 5,798 GWh, it can supply roughly 1.7 million homes. It ranks #349 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1974, it is around 52 years old — an older, legacy facility. Its annual emissions of 6,695,259 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 1.6 million 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).

1,578Source-backed capacity
5,798GWh reported / yr
1,656,571homes powered
6,695,259t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0001241.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLa Cygne WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Kansas WRI
Coordinates38.3481, -94.6456 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,578 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerEvergy Metro WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
GWh reported / yr5,798 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions6,695,259 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#349 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#123 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.83× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,656,571 calculated from reported generation
Climate13.1°C · HDD 2,497 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 36/100 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 operating-unit sum (location L100000103923); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,578 MW, La Cygne 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.

6,695,259 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.6 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
873khomes' yearly energy use
112 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: 7,520 GWh20132014: 7,940 GWh20142015: 6,981 GWh20152016: 8,370 GWh20162017: 4,038 GWh20172018: 5,505 GWh20182019: 5,798 GWh20198k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Evergy Metro. 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 38.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

13.1°Cannual mean temp
2,497heating degree-days (base 18°C)
721cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
254 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -2 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 8 °CMA: 13 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 23 °CJJ: 26 °CJA: 25 °CAS: 21 °CSO: 14 °CON: 7 °CND: 1 °CD26 °C

Heating degree-days here run 2% 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: 51/100 — 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)
36/100environmental-severity index
27.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
713 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 #123 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 38.3481, -94.6456 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is La Cygne?

La Cygne is a 1,578 MW source-record coal power plant in Kansas, United States of America, commissioned in 1974.

How much electricity does La Cygne generate?

La Cygne generates about 5,798 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can La Cygne power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,656,571 homes.

Who operates La Cygne?

La Cygne is operated by Evergy Metro.

How much CO₂ does La Cygne emit?

La Cygne has measured emissions of about 6,695,259 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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