Thomas Hill

Coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America. Approximate location 39.5522, -92.6381.

CoalMissouriUnited States of AmericaCO₂ measured

Thomas Hill is a 1,182 MW coal power station in Missouri, United States of America. It is operated by Associated Electric Coop Inc. Based on reported annual generation of 8,122 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.3 million homes. It ranks #541 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1976, it is around 50 years old — long-established. Its annual emissions of 5,958,156 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 1.4 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).

1,182Source-backed capacity
8,122GWh reported / yr
2,320,657homes powered
5,958,156t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
1976commissioned (~50 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0002168.

Data status

Known data

FacilityThomas Hill WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Missouri WRI
Coordinates39.5522, -92.6381 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity1,182 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerAssociated Electric Coop Inc WRI
Commissioned1976 WRI
GWh reported / yr8,122 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions5,958,156 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#541 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#205 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers2.12× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent2,320,657 calculated from reported generation
Climate11.9°C · HDD 2,804 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000104030); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,182 MW, Thomas Hill 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.

5,958,156 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

1.4 millionpassenger cars driven for a year
777khomes' yearly energy use
99 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: 8,338 GWh20132014: 7,946 GWh20142015: 7,673 GWh20152016: 7,120 GWh20162017: 8,271 GWh20172018: 7,800 GWh20182019: 8,122 GWh20198k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Associated Electric Coop Inc. 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 hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 39.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

11.9°Cannual mean temp
2,804heating degree-days (base 18°C)
600cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
230 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -3 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 6 °CMA: 12 °CAM: 18 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 25 °CJA: 24 °CAS: 20 °CSO: 13 °CON: 6 °CND: 0 °CD25 °C

Heating degree-days here run 14% 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: 57/100 — 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

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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
28.5°Cseasonal temperature swing
484 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 #205 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 39.5522, -92.6381 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Thomas Hill?

Thomas Hill is a 1,182 MW source-record coal power plant in Missouri, United States of America, commissioned in 1976.

How much electricity does Thomas Hill generate?

Thomas Hill generates about 8,122 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Thomas Hill power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 2,320,657 homes.

Who operates Thomas Hill?

Thomas Hill is operated by Associated Electric Coop Inc.

How much CO₂ does Thomas Hill emit?

Thomas Hill has measured emissions of about 5,958,156 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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