Weston Power Plant

Coal power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America. Approximate location 44.857744, -89.650192.

CoalWisconsinUnited States of Americasubcritical

Weston Power Plant is a 1,087.1 MW coal power station in Wisconsin, United States of America. It is operated by Wisconsin Public Service Corp [100%]. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 1.4 million homes (estimated). It ranks #603 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1954, it is around 72 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).

1,087.1MW installed capacity
1,360,428homes powered (est.)
1954commissioned (~72 yrs)

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

Data status

Known data

FacilityWeston Power Plant GEM-coal
CountryUnited States of America · Wisconsin GEM-coal
Coordinates44.857744, -89.650192 GEM-coal
FuelCoal GEM-coal
MW installed capacity1,087.1 MW GEM · 2026 · L100000104280; part of a generating complex
OwnerWisconsin Public Service Corp [100%] GEM-coal
Commissioned1954 GEM-coal
Technologysubcritical GEM-coal

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions4,761,498 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#603 / 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#229 / 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.95× · 558 MW · n=802 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent1,360,428 calculated
Climate6.0°C · HDD 4,477 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 32/100 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.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 946 MW for Weston Power Plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

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 · 2026 · L100000104280; fuel: GEM GCPT

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,087.1 MW, Weston Power Plant 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.

Capacity vs largest coal plants in United States of America

W A Parish: 3,953 MW4kW A ParishScherer: 3,564 MW4kSchererScherer Steam Generating Station: 3,564 MW4kScherer St…Bowen: 3,499 MW3kBowenPlant Bowen: 3,499 MW3kPlant BowenCrystal River Energy Complex: 3,448 MW3kCrystal Ri…Gibson: 3,340 MW3kGibsonGibson Generating Station: 3,340 MW3kGibson Gen…

Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Wisconsin Public Service Corp [100%].

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 humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.9°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.0°Cannual mean temp
4,477heating degree-days (base 18°C)
123cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
371 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -11 °CJF: -8 °CFM: -2 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 13 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 19 °CAS: 14 °CSO: 8 °CON: 0 °CND: -8 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 82% 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: 90/100 — 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 thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
32/100environmental-severity index
31.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
164 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 #229 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 44.857744, -89.650192 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Weston Power Plant?

Weston Power Plant is a 1,087.1 MW coal power plant in Wisconsin, United States of America, commissioned in 1954.

How many homes can Weston Power Plant power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 1,360,428 homes (estimated).

Who operates Weston Power Plant?

Weston Power Plant is operated by Wisconsin Public Service Corp [100%].

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