Wyodak

Coal power plant in Wyoming, United States of America. Approximate location 44.2901, -105.3815.

CoalWyomingUnited States of America

Wyodak is a 402 MW coal power station in Wyoming, United States of America. It is operated by PacifiCorp. Based on reported annual generation of 1,851 GWh, it can supply roughly 529k homes. It ranks #1425 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1978, it is around 48 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).

402Source-backed capacity
1,851GWh reported / yr
528,828homes powered
1978commissioned (~48 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0006101.

Data status

Known data

FacilityWyodak WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Wyoming WRI
Coordinates44.2901, -105.3815 WRI
FuelCoal WRI
MW installed capacity402 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerPacifiCorp WRI
Commissioned1978 WRI
GWh reported / yr1,851 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions1,850,900 t CO₂/yr calculated
Capacity rank in country#1425 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#464 of 802 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.72× · 558 MW median · 802 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent528,828 calculated from reported generation
Climate6.9°C · HDD 4,207 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: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000104291); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 402 MW, Wyodak 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: 2,515 GWh20132014: 2,623 GWh20142015: 2,564 GWh20152016: 2,056 GWh20162017: 2,565 GWh20172018: 2,252 GWh20182019: 1,851 GWh20193k GWh

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

Owner

Operated by PacifiCorp. 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 cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 44.3°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

6.9°Cannual mean temp
4,207heating degree-days (base 18°C)
168cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
1,370 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -7 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 6 °CAM: 11 °CMJ: 17 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 20 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 8 °CON: 0 °CND: -5 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 71% 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: 87/100 — 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
27.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
1022 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 #464 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 44.2901, -105.3815 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Wyodak?

Wyodak is a 402 MW source-record coal power plant in Wyoming, United States of America, commissioned in 1978.

How much electricity does Wyodak generate?

Wyodak generates about 1,851 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Wyodak power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 528,828 homes.

Who operates Wyodak?

Wyodak is operated by PacifiCorp.

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