Roy S. Nelson Generating Plant — United States of America

Roy S. Nelson Generating Plant is a 614.6 MW coal power station in Louisiana, United States of America. It is operated by East Texas Electric Cooperative Inc [9%]; Sam Rayburn G&T Electric Cooperative I. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 769k homes (estimated). It ranks #1029 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1982, it is around 44 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).

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

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000103958; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 614.6 MW, Roy S. Nelson Generating Plant is well above 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.

Key facts

Share of United States of America coal capacity

less than 0.1% of 621,194 MW across 802 plants in this dataset

Age among peers

500 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)).

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

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

Owner

Operated by East Texas Electric Cooperative Inc [9%]; Sam Rayburn G&T Electric Cooperative I.

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 30.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

Monthly mean temperature

Heating degree-days here run 71% 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: 23/100 — this site sits in the bottom 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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

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 #369 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

• R S Nelson · Coal · 1,433.6 MW · Louisiana
• Lake Charles Power · Gas · 1,000 MW · Louisiana
• PPG Plant C Caustic · Gas · 3.4 MW · Louisiana
• PPG Powerhouse A · Other · 52.5 MW · Louisiana
• PPG Powerhouse C · Gas · 357 MW · Louisiana
• PPG Riverside · Other · 162 MW · Louisiana

Location

Coordinates 30.284383, -93.288861 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions