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T B Simon Power Plant

Gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. Approximate location 42.7178, -84.4836.

GasMichiganUnited States of AmericaCO₂ modelled

T B Simon Power Plant is a 99 MW gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America. It is operated by Michigan State University. Based on reported annual generation of 306 GWh, it can supply roughly 88k homes. It ranks #2863 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1988, it is around 38 years old — long-established. Its modelled annual emissions are 202,900 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE), equivalent to about 47k 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).

99Source-backed capacity
306GWh reported / yr
87,542homes powered
202,900t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1988commissioned (~38 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010328.

Data status

Known data

FacilityT B Simon Power Plant WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Michigan WRI
Coordinates42.7178, -84.4836 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity99 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerMichigan State University WRI
Commissioned1988 WRI
GWh reported / yr306 GWh/yr WRI

Modelled source data

CO₂ emissions202,900 t CO₂/yr modelled · Climate TRACE

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2863 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1151 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.82× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent87,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate8.4°C · HDD 3,702 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC3 · 34/100 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.

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 99 MW, T B Simon Power Plant is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). 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.

~202,900 t CO₂/yr (modelled) — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

47kpassenger cars driven for a year
26khomes' yearly energy use
3.4 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

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

Reported generation trend

2013: 303 GWh20132014: 293 GWh20142015: 303 GWh20152016: 312 GWh20162017: 289 GWh20172018: 300 GWh20182019: 306 GWh2019312 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Michigan State University.

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 warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 42.7°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

8.4°Cannual mean temp
3,702heating degree-days (base 18°C)
214cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
281 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 8 °CAM: 14 °CMJ: 19 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 16 °CSO: 10 °CON: 4 °CND: -3 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 51% 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: 80/100 — 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 moderately corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C3 — Medium), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C3ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
27.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
126 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 #1151 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 42.7178, -84.4836 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is T B Simon Power Plant?

T B Simon Power Plant is a 99 MW source-record gas power plant in Michigan, United States of America, commissioned in 1988.

How much electricity does T B Simon Power Plant generate?

T B Simon Power Plant generates about 306 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can T B Simon Power Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 87,542 homes.

Who operates T B Simon Power Plant?

T B Simon Power Plant is operated by Michigan State University.

How much CO₂ does T B Simon Power Plant emit?

T B Simon Power Plant has modelled emissions of about 202,900 tonnes of CO₂ per year (Climate TRACE).

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