Tolk Station — United States of America

Tolk Station is a 1,136 MW coal power station in Texas, United States of America. It is operated by Southwestern Public Service Co [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.4 million homes (estimated). It ranks #516 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_tolk_unite.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: GEM · 2026 · L100000104215; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,136 MW, Tolk Station 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

0.2% 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 Southwestern Public Service Co [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 34.2°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 15% 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: 44/100 — 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

This site sits in a benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion 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 #214 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

• Tolk · Coal · 1,135.8 MW · Texas
• Plant X · Gas · 434.4 MW · Texas
• Blue Cloud Wind Energy LLC · Wind · 148.4 MW · Texas
• Bethel Wind Farm LLC · Wind · 276 MW · Texas
• Texico Wind Ranch LP · Wind · 1.9 MW · New Mexico
• Mariah del Norte · Wind · 230.4 MW · Texas

Location

Coordinates 34.185119, -102.569306 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions