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Southeast Chicago Energy Project

Gas power plant in Indiana, United States of America. Approximate location 41.7181, -87.5449.

GasIndianaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ modelled

Southeast Chicago Energy Project is a 407 MW gas power station in Indiana, United States of America. It is operated by Exelon Power. Based on reported annual generation of 42 GWh, it can supply roughly 12k homes. It ranks #1417 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2002, it is around 24 years old — relatively modern. Its modelled annual emissions are 347,530 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 81k cars driven for a year. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

407Source-backed capacity
42GWh reported / yr
12,028homes powered
347,530t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
2002commissioned (~24 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0055281.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySoutheast Chicago Energy Project WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Indiana WRI
Coordinates41.7181, -87.5449 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity407 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerExelon Power WRI
Commissioned2002 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr42 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions347,530 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#1417 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#665 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.36× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent12,028 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.0°C · HDD 3,284 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 41/100 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: Wikidata P2109 nameplate capacity; fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 407 MW, Southeast Chicago Energy Project is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

~347,530 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

81kpassenger cars driven for a year
45khomes' yearly energy use
5.8 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; modelled emissions from Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 16 GWh20132014: -5 GWh20142015: 22 GWh20152016: 40 GWh20162017: 48 GWh20172018: 59 GWh20182019: 42 GWh201959 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Exelon Power. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.0°Cannual mean temp
3,284heating degree-days (base 18°C)
401cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
186 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -5 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 21 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 5 °CND: -2 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 34% 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: 70/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

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 corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
41/100environmental-severity index
28.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
19 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 #665 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.7181, -87.5449 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Southeast Chicago Energy Project?

Southeast Chicago Energy Project is a 407 MW source-record gas power plant in Indiana, United States of America, commissioned in 2002.

How much electricity does Southeast Chicago Energy Project generate?

Southeast Chicago Energy Project generates about 42 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Southeast Chicago Energy Project power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 12,028 homes.

Who operates Southeast Chicago Energy Project?

Southeast Chicago Energy Project is operated by Exelon Power.

How much CO₂ does Southeast Chicago Energy Project emit?

Southeast Chicago Energy Project has modelled emissions of about 347,530 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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