Springerville

Coal power plant in Arizona, United States of America. Approximate location 34.3186, -109.1639.

CoalArizonaUnited States of AmericaSteamAnnouncedCO₂ measured

Springerville is a 1,766 MW coal power station in Arizona, United States of America. It is operated by Tucson Electric Power Co. Based on reported annual generation of 7,945 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.3 million homes. It ranks #289 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Its annual emissions of 7,022,190 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 1.6 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).

1,766Source-backed capacity
7,945GWh reported / yr
2,270,085homes powered
7,022,190t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1998Announced year

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0008223.

Data status

Known data

FacilitySpringerville WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Arizona WRI
Coordinates34.3186, -109.1639 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,766 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerTucson Electric Power Co WRI
Commissioned1998 WRI
TechnologySteam WRI
GWh reported / yr7,945 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions7,022,190 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#289 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#91 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers3.16× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,270,085 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.3°C · HDD 3,233 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 28/100 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 tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000103792); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,766 MW, Springerville is well above the median coal plant in United States of America (558 MW). Technically it is described as Steam. Its current lifecycle status is “announced” — so it is not yet, or no longer, generating at full output. 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.

7,022,190 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.6 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
916khomes' yearly energy use
117 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: 11,458 GWh20132014: 10,540 GWh20142015: 10,062 GWh20152016: 9,147 GWh20162017: 8,636 GWh20172018: 9,962 GWh20182019: 7,945 GWh201911k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Tucson Electric Power Co. All plants by this company →

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.3°Cannual mean temp
3,233heating degree-days (base 18°C)
68cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
2,202 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 0 °CJF: 2 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 20 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: 0 °CD20 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% 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: 69/100 — 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 humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
28/100environmental-severity index
19.7°Cseasonal temperature swing
547 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 #91 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 34.3186, -109.1639 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Springerville?

Springerville is a 1,766 MW source-record coal power plant in Arizona, United States of America, planned/announced for 1998.

How much electricity does Springerville generate?

Springerville generates about 7,945 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Springerville power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,270,085 homes.

Who operates Springerville?

Springerville is operated by Tucson Electric Power Co.

How much CO₂ does Springerville emit?

Springerville has measured emissions of about 7,022,190 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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