New Madrid — United States of America

Coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America. Approximate location 36.5147, -89.5617.

CoalMissouriUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

New Madrid is a 1,300 MW coal power station in Missouri, United States of America. It is operated by Associated Electric Coop Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 6,881 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.0 million homes. It ranks #410 of 10,884 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 4,327,992 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 1.0 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).

1,300MW installed capacity
6,881GWh reported / yr
1,965,885homes powered
4,327,992t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1974commissioned (~52 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002167.

Data status

Known data

FacilityNew Madrid WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Missouri WRI
Coordinates36.5147, -89.5617 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,300 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000104024; operating plant capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerAssociated Electric Coop Inc WRI
Commissioned1974 WRI
GWh reported / yr6,881 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI
CO₂ emissions4,327,992 t CO₂·a⁻¹ measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#410 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#181 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.33× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,965,885 calculated from reported generation
Climate14.7°C · HDD 2,042 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 37/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000104024; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,300 MW, New Madrid 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.

4,327,992 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

24krailcars of coal burned
1.0 milliongasoline cars driven for a year
1.3kwind turbines running for a year
0.57%of the CO₂ from all United States of America power plants with an emissions figure in PowerAtlas

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Key facts

Load factor
60%, from 6,881 GWh of reported generation; the median for 244 coal plants in United States of America that report generation is 41%
Generation trend
8,194 GWh in 2013 and 6,881 GWh in 2019 (−16%)
Highest and lowest year
2014: 8,332 GWh; 2015: 6,595 GWh
Share of United States of America coal capacity
0.2% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
362 of 745 dated coal plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 8,194 GWh20132014: 8,332 GWh20142015: 6,595 GWh20152016: 6,761 GWh20162017: 7,598 GWh20172018: 7,902 GWh20182019: 6,881 GWh20198k GWh

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

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 36.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

14.7°Cannual mean temp
2,042heating degree-days (base 18°C)
852cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
91 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 1 °CJF: 4 °CFM: 9 °CMA: 14 °CAM: 20 °CMJ: 24 °CJJ: 27 °CJA: 26 °CAS: 22 °CSO: 16 °CON: 10 °CND: 4 °CD27 °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

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)
37/100environmental-severity index
25.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
615 kmdistance to coast

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 #181 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 36.5147, -89.5617 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is New Madrid?

New Madrid is a 1,300 MW coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America, commissioned in 1974.

How much electricity does New Madrid generate?

New Madrid generates about 6,881 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates New Madrid?

New Madrid is operated by Associated Electric Coop Inc.

How much CO₂ does New Madrid emit?

New Madrid has measured emissions of about 4,327,992 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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