POWERTON
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 1,786 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Tazewell County
- Operator
- MIDWEST GENERATIONS EME LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1972
- EIA plant ID
- 879
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 2,221 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 14%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 40.5408, -89.6786
POWERTON, a 1,786 MW Coal power plant in Tazewell County, Illinois. Operated by MIDWEST GENERATIONS EME LLC, commissioned 1972.
How POWERTON compares
With 1,786 MW of capacity, POWERTON ranks 7th among the 158 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Illinois and 2nd of the 12 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 23% of Illinois's operating Coal capacity and 4.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 47th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1972, it is older than 80% of the 150 operating Illinois plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, MIDWEST GENERATIONS EME LLC, runs 2 operating plants in Illinois totaling 2,074 MW. It shares Tazewell County with 5 other operating plants, including RAIL SPLITTER WIND FARM and TAZEWELL GAS RECOVERY.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 1,786 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 2,221 GWh in 2024 (a 14% capacity factor), down 56% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1972 and 1975.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 138 kV line owned by AMEREN ILLINOIS COMPANY, under 0.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 121 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is RAIL SPLITTER WIND FARM (101 MW, Wind).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
POWERTON is a 1,786 MW coal power plant in Tazewell County, IL, operated by MIDWEST GENERATIONS EME LLC, commissioned in 1972. Tazewell County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.1 of 5 at the 52nd national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 85th 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.
Tazewell County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively High | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 0.69 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 64th | 3.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 1.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 10.8 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 34th | 2.4 of 5 | 46.3 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Moderate | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Tazewell 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 |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Tazewell 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.