5 Biggest Coal Plants in the US

In this article we discuss the 5 biggest coal plants in the US. If you want to read our detailed analysis of these coal companies, go directly to the 15 Biggest Coal Plants in the US.

5. John E. Amos Power Plant, Owned by American Electric Power Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: AEP)

John E. Amos Power Plant is owned and operated American Electric Power through their subsidiary Appalachian Power. It has three units with a total capacity of 2,933 MW, which makes it the largest generating plant in the AEP system. The plants uses steam powered turbines to produce electricity. Ground up coal is pushed into boilers where it burns and turns water into steam. That steam gets sent into turbines and turns their blades. These blades power a generator that produces electricity that is stepped up by transformers. As part of an agreement between Appalachian Power and the Sierra Club an analysis is to be conducted in 2022 to determine whether the plant should be retired. The analysis will gauge market conditions and the power plant’s economic viability. The plant ranks 5th in our list of biggest coal plants in the US.

4. Gibson Generating Station, Owned by Duke Energy Corporation (NYSE: DUK)

The Gibson Generating Station is a power plant located at the northernmost end of Gibson County, Indiana. Between its 5 units it has a total capacity of 3,345 megawatts. It is the the tenth-largest electrical plant in the US and the fourth largest coal-powered plant. There is a 3,000-acre large man-made lake called Gibson Lake on the grounds of the facility which is used as a cooling pond for the plant. The plant is connected to the power grid with 345 kV and 138 kV transmission lines to 79 Indiana counties. To reduce the amount of nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide in the emissions a new common stack with independent flues was constructed for units 1 & 2 and a single new stack was built for unit 3 as part of installation of wet FGD systems on these units.

3. Monroe Power Plant, Owned by DTE Energy Company (NYSE: DTE)

The Monroe Power Plant is located in Monroe, Michigan. It is owned by DTE Energy through their subsidiary DTE Energy Electric Company. It has been in operation since 1971 but it is scheduled to close in 2040. It has 4 units, each with a capacity of 850 megawatts, with the total capacity of the plant being 3,300 megawatts (minus the amount of energy it takes to run the plant itself). It is third largest coal plant and the eleventh largest electric plant in the United States. The Monroe Power Plant connects to the power grid by numerous 120,000 and 345,000 volt transmission lines. To reduce green house gas emissions, “scrubbers” or flue-gas desulfurization units are in operation on all four of the generating units. These devices manage to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by over 95%.

The plant ranks 3rd  in our list of biggest coal plants in the US.

2. Bowen Steam Plant, Owned by The Southern Company (NYSE: SO)

Plant Bowen is located just outside Euharlee, Georgia. It has 4 units with capacities 806, 789, 952, and 952 megawatts. With a total capacity of over 3,450 megawatts, it is one of the largest plants in North America to be powered by coal. 500 kV transmission lines are used to connect the station to the southeastern power grid. It is owned and operated by Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. Keeping air pollution guidelines in mind, smoke particles are removed from the exhaust gases by using electrostatic precipitators. The composition of exhaust gases is also closely watched to make sure they are in line with air quality regulations. In addition, Jet Bubble Reactor (JBR) units have recently been constructed on all four units to meet federal clean air and ozone standards.

The plant ranks 2nd in our list of biggest coal plants in the US.

1. Robert W. Scherer (Plant Scherer), Owned by Oglethrope Power Corp. & The Southern Company (NYSE: SO)

With four power generating units each of 930 megawatts, Plant Scherer is the largest coal-fired power plant in the US. However, the units actually function at 880 megawatts. It is located in Juliette, Georgia. Plant Scherer is the fourth-largest electric power plant in the United States and the largest to be fueled only by coal. It is also the largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., producing 20 million short tons per year. It was agreed by Florida Power & Light and the Jacksonville Electric Authority that Unit four of the plant will be retired in 2022, while the remaining facilities will continue to operate and have no decided closure date as of yet. The largest stockholders are Oglethorpe Power Corp. and  Southern Company through their subsidiary Georgia Power.

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