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Lon Wright Power Plant

Coal power plant in Nebraska, United States of America. Approximate location 41.427806, -96.462192.

CoalNebraskaUnited States of Americasubcritical

Lon Wright Power Plant is a 91.5 MW coal power plant in Nebraska, United States of America. It is operated by City of Fremont (Nebraska) [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 115k homes (estimated). It ranks #2964 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1977, it is around 49 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).

91.5MW installed capacity
114,505homes powered (est.)
1977commissioned (~49 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityLon Wright Power Plant GEM-coal
CountryUnited States of America · Nebraska GEM-coal
Coordinates41.427806, -96.462192 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity91.5 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000104039; operating plant capacity
OwnerCity of Fremont (Nebraska) [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1977 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions400,770 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#2964 / 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#685 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.16× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent114,505 calculated
Climate10.1°C · HDD 3,352 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 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/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 · 2026 · L100000104039; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 91.5 MW, Lon Wright Power Plant is below the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as subcritical. 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

W A Parish: 3,953 MW4kW A ParishScherer: 3,564 MW4kSchererScherer Steam Generating Station: 3,564 MW4kScherer St…Bowen: 3,499 MW3kBowenPlant Bowen: 3,499 MW3kPlant BowenCrystal River Energy Complex: 3,448 MW3kCrystal Ri…Gibson: 3,340 MW3kGibsonGibson Generating Station: 3,340 MW3kGibson Gen…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by City of Fremont (Nebraska) [100%].

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 41.4°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.1°Cannual mean temp
3,352heating degree-days (base 18°C)
486cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
359 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 3 °CND: -4 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 36% 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: 72/100 — 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 mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
33/100environmental-severity index
30.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
808 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 #685 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 41.427806, -96.462192 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lon Wright Power Plant?

Lon Wright Power Plant is a 91.5 MW coal power plant in Nebraska, United States of America, commissioned in 1977.

How many homes can Lon Wright Power Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 114,505 homes (estimated).

Who operates Lon Wright Power Plant?

Lon Wright Power Plant is operated by City of Fremont (Nebraska) [100%].

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