Lon Wright

Coal power plant in Nebraska, United States of America. Approximate location 41.4281, -96.4623.

CoalNebraskaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Lon Wright is a 213 MW coal power station in Nebraska, United States of America. It is operated by City of Fremont - (NE). Based on reported annual generation of 649 GWh, it can supply roughly 185k homes. It ranks #1926 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1986, it is around 40 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 603,711 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 141k 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).

213Source-backed capacity
649GWh reported / yr
185,457homes powered
603,711t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1986commissioned (~40 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002240.

Data status

Known data

FacilityLon Wright WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Nebraska WRI
Coordinates41.4281, -96.4623 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity213 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerCity of Fremont - (NE) WRI
Commissioned1986 WRI
GWh reported / yr649 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions603,711 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1926 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#579 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.38× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent185,457 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.1°C · HDD 3,352 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 92 MW for Lon Wright Power Plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: A3_MAJOR_REVIEW_SCOPE_STATUS - recommended action: manual_scope_status_check - confidence: low_until_scope_verified. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

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 L100000104039); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 213 MW, Lon Wright 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.

603,711 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

141kpassenger cars driven for a year
79khomes' yearly energy use
10 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: 0 GWh20132014: 0 GWh20142015: 0 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 0 GWh20182019: 649 GWh2019649 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by City of Fremont - (NE).

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 #579 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 41.4281, -96.4623 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Lon Wright?

Lon Wright is a 213 MW source-record coal power plant in Nebraska, United States of America, commissioned in 1986.

How much electricity does Lon Wright generate?

Lon Wright generates about 649 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Lon Wright power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 185,457 homes.

Who operates Lon Wright?

Lon Wright is operated by City of Fremont - (NE).

How much CO₂ does Lon Wright emit?

Lon Wright has measured emissions of about 603,711 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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