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Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan

Coal power plant in Colorado, United States of America. Approximate location 40.263, -103.8069.

CoalColoradoUnited States of America

Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan is a 3 MW coal power plant in Colorado, United States of America. It is operated by Western Sugar Cooperative. Based on reported annual generation of 7 GWh, it can supply roughly 2.0k homes. It ranks #8330 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1947, it is around 79 years old — an older, legacy facility. 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).

3Source-backed capacity
7GWh reported / yr
1,971homes powered
1947commissioned (~79 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0058081.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWestern Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Colorado WRI
Coordinates40.263, -103.8069 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity3 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWestern Sugar Cooperative WRI
Commissioned1947 WRI
GWh reported / yr7 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions6,900 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#8330 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#800 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.01× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,971 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.7°C · HDD 3,363 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC1 · 38/100 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 3 MW, Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan is below 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.

Reported generation trend

2013: 7 GWh20132014: 8 GWh20142015: 8 GWh20152016: 8 GWh20162017: 9 GWh20172018: 12 GWh20182019: 7 GWh201912 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Western Sugar Cooperative.

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 40.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.7°Cannual mean temp
3,363heating degree-days (base 18°C)
366cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,323 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -4 °CJF: 0 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 9 °CAM: 15 °CMJ: 20 °CJJ: 23 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 17 °CSO: 10 °CON: 2 °CND: -3 °CD23 °C

Heating degree-days here run 37% 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: 73/100 — 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 benign, low-corrosion environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C1 — Very low), with dust abrasion the leading environmental stress.

C1ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
38/100environmental-severity index
27.1°Cseasonal temperature swing
1343 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 #800 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 40.263, -103.8069 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan?

Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan is a 3 MW source-record coal power plant in Colorado, United States of America, commissioned in 1947.

How much electricity does Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan generate?

Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan generates about 7 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,971 homes.

Who operates Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan?

Western Sugar Coop- Ft Morgan is operated by Western Sugar Cooperative.

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