MARTIN DRAKE
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 257 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- El Paso County
- Operator
- CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO)
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2023
- EIA plant ID
- 492
- Generators
- 6
- Net generation (2024)
- 153 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 7.1%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 38.8247, -104.8326
MARTIN DRAKE, a 257 MW Coal power plant in El Paso County, Colorado. Operated by CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO), commissioned 2023.
How MARTIN DRAKE compares
With 257 MW of capacity, MARTIN DRAKE ranks 19th among the 114 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Colorado and 8th of the 9 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 4.3% of Colorado's operating Coal capacity and 1.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 198th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 2023, it is newer than 99% of the 111 operating Colorado plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO), runs 7 operating plants in Colorado totaling 1,171 MW. It shares El Paso County with 9 other operating plants, including FRONT RANGE POWER PLANT and RAY D NIXON.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 6 generators at the site with 245 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 153 GWh in 2024 (a 7.1% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is MARTIN DRAKE (115 kV), about 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO), under 0.1 miles away. Another 9 operating power plants totaling 1,149 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is FRONT RANGE POWER PLANT (541 MW, Natural Gas).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
MARTIN DRAKE is a 257 MW coal power plant in El Paso County, CO, operated by CITY OF COLORADO SPRINGS - (CO), commissioned in 2023. El Paso County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.5 of 5 at the 87th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 95th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
El Paso County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively High | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 89th | 4.5 of 5 | 6.7 |
| Winter weather | Very High | 65th | 3.6 of 5 | 14.5 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 50th | 3.0 of 5 | 4.1 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 33rd | 2.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.73 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.88 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 24th | 1.9 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Lightning | Very High | 17th | 1.7 of 5 | 59.3 |
Perils not assessed in El Paso County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for El Paso County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.